Cannon to Crossbows: An Archaeological Glimpse at 16th-century Spanish Naval Weapons

Author(s): Mercedes Harrold

Year: 2014

Summary

On June 11, 1559, Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano left the port of San Juan de Ula, Veracruz, Mexico. King Philip II entrusted Luna with the task of building the first royally funded colonies in La Florida. This paper compares the archaeological and historical evidence for weapons on Luna’s fleet and from other 16th-century shipwrecks; the Molasses Reef wreck, which archaeologists believe was on an exploratory mission, and the Padre Island Fleet, which was on a shipping venture. I hope to understand whether there were differences in the quantity and quality of weapons that were carried on differing Spanish maritime missions.

Cite this Record

Cannon to Crossbows: An Archaeological Glimpse at 16th-century Spanish Naval Weapons. Mercedes Harrold. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. 2014 ( tDAR id: 436799)

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-25,04