Image: PM Images//Getty Images
By Tim Newcomb
Carrying a double load of bounty, the Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas (“Our Lady of Wonders”) wrecked about 43 miles off the shore of the Bahamas in 1656. During its descent, the ship scattered a debris trail at least eight miles long. Scavengers pillaged that bounty for centuries until the government put a moratorium on it in the late 1990s.
But the water still hid a surprising amount of treasure. Under a new excavation license granted in 2020, Allen Exploration, an investment company that partnered with the Bahamian government, finally found it.
At least 3.5 million pieces of eight (a global currency from Spain) and silver bars had already been salvaged from the Maravillas. This latest search, led by the retired millionaire plastics businessman Carl Allen, combed the ocean floor to locate more artifacts. He ended up finding gold chains, emerald pendants, and plenty of 1600s-era remnants worthy of a museum.
Read the full article on Popular Mechanics:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a70801873/explorers-found-treasure-on-spanish-shipwreck-crime/
