Guys, an update to the Colombia situation (first of all, is Colombia not Columbia). This is the first time that president Ivan Duke makes a clear public statements regarding the San Jose project. Until now, this job was left to his Vice-president, Marta Lucia Ramirez, who had taken a very anti "treasure hunters" position. To be fair, he is not given the rights to the shipwreck to Spain, quite the contrary, nor is he renouncing to the right of Colombia to the vessel. What he is saying is that in his opinion the shipwreck and all its artifacts should be considered cultural patrimony of Colombia and therefore could not be divided. This position is against the current Law (1675), which clearly says that it is up to a panel to decide what is and is not Colombian cultural patrimony, and specifically identifies bars, coins, emeralds, gems stones and perls -in their natural state- as not being cultural patrimony of the country.
The San Jose carried mostly coins and treasures minted in Potosi, today Bolivia. From there, its cargo traveled to Lima, Peru, and set on board of the South Sea Armada for it north voyage to the port of Perico, Panama, and then across the isthmus to the port of Portobello, where it was loaded on board of a Spanish galleon that happened to be sunk by two English vessels in 1708 before it could reach Cartagena. As you can see, Bolivia, Peru, Panama and Spain may have all a semi-valid claims to the title of "cultural patrimony" for these items. Colombia does not.
The saddest part of this saga, is that no-one is recognizing MAC (Marine Archaeology Consultants), the English company that found the wreck in 2015, for their amazing discovery. Without their investment, technological applications and ingenuity this shipwreck would have not been discovered. MAC trusted the new laws in Colombia, risked their capital ($6.8 million dollars allegedly) and now, after succeeding in their unlikely endeavor, they seem to have been pushed aside while the Colombian government and the rest of the world discuss what to do with the San Jose. This conversation will not be taking place without MAC intervention, which would have not take place if the country would have not crafted a law that clearly allow them to do what they did. This my friends is a question of pure equanimity. The word that comes to mind is SHAME.
