Lost Ships of Cortes
Jonathan Kingston
Two Additional Anchors Found in Search for the ...

Researchers move a step closer to one of the most important archaeological finds in history.

In July of 1519, in a bold act that changed the course of history, Spanish conquistador, Hernán Cortés, ordered his men to sink all but one of the 11 ships they sailed from Cuba to what is now Mexico. It was a remarkable act of “all or nothing” commitment that has become legend, and Cortés’s subsequent conquest of Mexico irrevocably altered the New World and set world geopolitics on a course that continues today. The remains of those scuttled ships have never been found. But five hundred years later, new clues are bringing an international team of researchers tantalizingly closer.

Two Additional Anchors Found in Search for the Lost Ships of Spanish Conquistador, Hernán Cortés

Lost Ships of Cortes

Two Additional Anchors Found in Search for the Lost Ships of Spanish Conquistador, Hernán Cortés

Two Additional Anchors Found in Search for the Lost Ships of Spanish Conquistador, Hernán Cortés

Researchers move a step closer to one of the most important archaeological finds in history.

In July of 1519, in a bold act that changed the course of history, Spanish conquistador, Hernán Cortés, ordered his men to sink all but one of the 11 ships they sailed from Cuba to what is now Mexico. It was a remarkable act of “all or nothing” commitment that has become legend, and Cortés’s subsequent conquest of Mexico irrevocably altered the New World and set world geopolitics on a course that continues today. The remains of those scuttled ships have never been found. But five hundred years later, new clues are bringing an international team of researchers tantalizingly closer.

Searching for the Lost Ships of Cortés

Searching for the Lost Ships of Cortés

The discovery of a centuries-old anchor may help a UM researcher and fellow underwater archeologists find the fleet the Spanish conquistador scuttled before conquering Mexico.

In July of 1519, in a brazen act that would upend history, Spanish conquistador HernánCortés ordered his men to sink all but one of the 11 ships they sailed from Cuba to Mexico on a supposed exploratory mission.

Nearly 500 years later, the fleet’s final resting place remains unknown. But members of an international team of underwater archaeologists who are conducting the first modern-day search for the scuttled vessels, as well as 16 others that Cortés sank a year later, have found an anchor that provides the first compelling clue to the location of the lost ships. They made their discovery by combining archival and historical data about Spanish conquistadors and the Aztec empire with the best available science, technology, and local community knowledge to survey the seafloor for remains of his fleet.

Lost Ships of Cortés Project featured on National Geographic

SACI is thrilled to announce that The Lost Ships of Hernán Cortés Project has been featured in the December 2018 National Geographic. The article is available here: Exclusive: New Clue Surfaces in underwater hunt for conquistador’s lost ships

Anchor discovery provides tantalizing clues in search for the Lost Ships of Cortés

Anchor discovery provides tantalizing clues in search for the Lost Ships of Cortés

In July of 1519, in a brazen act that would upend history, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés ordered his men to sink all but one of the 11 ships they sailed from Cuba to Mexico on a supposed exploratory mission.

Nearly five hundred years later, the fleet’s final resting place remains undiscovered. But an international collaboration of underwater archaeologists is conducting the first modern-day search for the scuttled vessels, as well as 16 others that Cortés sank a year later. Their method: combining modern science and technology with local community knowledge to survey the seafloor for the remains of Cortés’ fleet.