Early Sixteenth-Century Shipbuilding in Mexico: Dimensions and Tonnages of the Vessels Designed for Pacific Ocean Navigation
Author(s): Jose L Casaban; Roberto Junco
Year: 2018
Summary
Shortly after the conquest of Mexico, Cortes ordered the construction of a second shipyard on the Pacific coast, known as El Carbón. The new shipyard was located in Tehuantepec (Oaxaca) and shipwrights were brought to Mexico to build and repair the ships for the spice trade with the Moluccas Islands, and even China and Japan. The ships built in this shipyard included San Vicente, San Lázaro, and Santa Agueda which were employed in trade with Peru, and the exploration of the Pacific coast of Mexico and California. These vessels were among the earliest ships built in the Pacific Ocean according to the European shipbuilding tradition. This paper examines the information provided by a document dated to 1535, in which the main dimensions, tonnages, and construction characteristics of three navíos (ships) built in El Carbón – San Lázaro, Santiago, and Santa Agueda – are provided.
Cite this Record
Early Sixteenth-Century Shipbuilding in Mexico: Dimensions and Tonnages of the Vessels Designed for Pacific Ocean Navigation. Jose L Casaban, Roberto Junco. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441160)
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Keywords
General
Pacific
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Ships
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Shipyard
Geographic Keywords
North America
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United States of America
Temporal Keywords
16th Century
Spatial Coverage
min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 261