Image: No shelfmark or repository stamp visible; a circled “3” in the upper right corner (modern pencil/ink, probably a working folio number added by the researcher).
Tomás de Larraspuru, Captain General of the Indies escort fleet, learns that Francisco Núñez Melián has pulled silver bars from the galleon Margarita at the Cayos de Matecumbe and orders every piece handed over. 29 August 1626.
“…where in the past year of twenty-two the silver galleons in the charge of the Marqués de Cadereyta were lost… he has found the galleon Margarita and taken from her a quantity of silver bars, reales, copper plates, wrought silver and some artillery.”
From the translation. Havana, 29 August 1626.
Published 29 August 2026, four hundred years to the day after it was signed.
In the city of San Cristóbal de La Habana, on the twenty-ninth day of the month of August of the year one thousand six hundred and twenty-six, the lord don Tomás de Larraspuru, knight of the Order of Alcántara, captain general of the Armada de la Guardia de las Indias (the fleet guarding the Indies), said that, by the report given to him in this city that Francisco Núñez Melián, treasurer of the Santa Cruzada, in conformity with the asiento (salvage contract) which he holds with His Majesty at the Cayos de Matacumbe — where in the past year of [sixteen] twenty-two the silver galleons under the charge of the Marqués de Cadereyta, general of the said armada […] of war of His Majesty, were lost — having come upon the galleon Margarita, has recovered from her a quantity of silver bars, reales (silver coin), plates of copper, wrought silver and some artillery which […]; and because of the [contract] which he holds and which His Majesty has given him, […] the silver, pearls, copper and whatever shall belong to him and shall pertain to His royal service and to the other private parties of the regions of the Indies, he ordered and commanded that […] Melián shall at once, without any delay, deliver to the almirante (admiral, second-in-command) [and galleons] […] the silver that there may be […] of the said armada: the said bars, reales, silver and artillery and the other [goods] that they may have in their possession and that have been recovered from […], without his retaining anything for himself, provided that he give account and record thereof, so that with it notice may be given and he may be held discharged before the señores jueces oficiales (judge-officials) of the Casa [de la Contratación].
Read the full article on New Discoveries:
https://www.new-discoveries.org/archive/havana-orders-margarita-silver-1626
