A remote-controlled underwater vehicle recently helped researchers unlock a long-standing maritime mystery off the coast of Colombia. By studying coins of the San José Galleon recovered visually—but not physically—from a centuries-old shipwreck, scientists have moved one step closer to confirming the identity of what many call the “Holy Grail of shipwrecks.”
The detailed images of the coins found at the site offer compelling evidence that the wreck may indeed be the San José Galleon, a legendary Spanish treasure ship lost in the early 18th century.
These findings place the spotlight on the coins of the San José Galleon, which have proven critical in dating the wreck and linking it to a famed naval tragedy.
Researchers used a remote-controlled underwater vehicle to document the shipwreck without disturbing the site. While the Colombian government first located the wreck in 2015, the coins scattered around it had remained untouched and unstudied until recently.
Now, through high-resolution imagery and 3D modeling, researchers have digitally reconstructed the coins to examine their surface features and historical markings.
The analysis uncovered minting symbols that date the coins to 1707 and tie their origin to Lima, Peru. Some of the coins also carry royal emblems of the crowns of Castile and Leon.
These details helped the research team establish a clear timeline: the ship could not have sunk before 1707.
NEW Hailed as the ‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks’, a wreck off the coast of Colombia has been theorised to be the lost San José Galleon.
The results of a non-invasive study of coins from the wreck are published today in Antiquity, so here’s an #AntiquityThread on the findings 1/13
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ntiquity Journal (@AntiquityJ) June 10, 2025
Historical records indicate that the San José Galleon was part of a significant treasure fleet, carrying a large shipment of wealth from South America to Spain when it sank in 1708 during a battle with British forces.
“The Tierra Firme Fleet, commanded by the San José Galleon, held the exclusive monopoly on transporting royal treasures between South America and the Iberian Peninsula,” said Daniela Vargas Ariza, a lead researcher from Colombia’s Naval Cadet School and the national anthropology institute.
For more than two centuries, rough hand-struck silver coins—known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish—served as the main currency in Spanish America. In this case, the coins recovered from the site offer more than monetary value; they act as historical anchors, verifying the galleon’s cargo and its final journey.
From the 1500s through the 1700s, Spanish fleets routinely carried royal goods across the Atlantic from the Americas to Spain. The San José was the flagship of the Flota de Tierra Firme, a key fleet that transported wealth from Peru and Colombia to Europe.
It held exclusive rights to move the Spanish crown’s treasure and was a vital part of the empire’s maritime network.
This new analysis marks a turning point in the ongoing investigation ten years after the wreck’s discovery. While researchers stop short of declaring a conclusion, the evidence surrounding the coins of the San José Galleon offers one of the clearest links yet to its legendary identity.
“This case study highlights the value of coins as key chronological markers in the identification of shipwrecks,” Vargas Ariza said. “This find presents a rare opportunity to explore an underwater archaeological site and deepen our understanding of 18th-century maritime trade and routes.”
