Nuestra Señora de Encarnación: Lost Ship of the 1681 Tierra Firme Fleet

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere." , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In 1681, the Tierra Firme fleet departed Cartagena for Portbelo to eventually make the voyage back to Spain with goods from the colonies. En route, a storm struck the fleet, wrecking four vessels and killing more than 500 Spanish sailors. One vessel met its demise at the mouth of the Chagres River near Fort San Lorenzo, where it remained undisturbed for nearly three centuries until it was discovered after a storm uncovered the site in the early 1990s. In 2011, archaeologists searching for the remains of Henry Morgan’s five ships¾lost in the same area in 1671¾identified a well-preserved wooden-hulled shipwreck loaded with more wooden crates and barrels. An extensive archaeological program of excavation, mapping, and photo documentation in 2012 and 2014 coupled with archival investigations suggest that the vessel is the remains of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnacion, a Spanish merchant nao, and one of the vessels lost in 1681.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 987