Disturbed by Treasure Salvage Yet Still Significant: Exploring Manila Galleons Santa Margarita and Nuestra Señora de la Concepción in the Northern Mariana Islands

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Islands of Time (General Sessions)" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Of the 59 recorded Manila galleon shipwreck incidents between 1565 and 1815, only seven shipwreck sites have been identified today. Two 17th-century Manila galleons, Santa Margarita and Nuestra Señora de la Concepción (Concepción), are in the Northern Mariana Islands. Both sites, however, have been impacted by post-wrecking activities of looting and treasure salvage. Furthermore, no comprehensive archaeological surveys, excavations, or reports have yet been completed that were not driven by monetary gain. Some may dismiss these shipwrecks because they have been disturbed by treasure salvage, but it is still important to study them. While analyzing the problematic treasure salvage on Santa Margarita and Concepción, this study uses historical and archival research, textual analysis, and oral histories to examine the cultural impacts on the two shipwreck sites. The analysis reveals information on Indigenous Chamorro culture, the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade network and more broadly, the Spanish trade empire in the 17th century.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021   •
• Islands of Time (General Sessions)

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology