Colombia set the rules for an eventual rescue and “economic use” of the treasure of the galleon San Josésunk three centuries ago in the Caribbean, with valuable jewels and relics that Spain claims.
Those interested in the wreck – which cannot be marketed because it is considered cultural heritage – will have to submit to the government a detailed inventory of the find and the plans for its “conservation” and “economic use”according to a presidential decree released Thursday.
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The Executive seeks that the treasure – estimated by researchers at at least 200 tons of gold, silver and emeralds – be used “in a museum of shipwrecked species (…) that is a pride for Colombia, the Caribbean and the world”, detailed the vice president and chancellor, Marta Lucía Ramírez, in a statement.
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The remains are found at a depth of between 600 and 1,000 meters, which has represented a technological and scientific challenge. Experts estimate the cost of the operation at 70 million dollars.
Whoever rescues him must sign a “contract” with the state, orders the decree. The agreement contemplates a “conservation program that involves all the objects found in its interior,” according to the new norm, which also applies to other discoveries in Colombian territorial waters.
The government announced in 2015 the discovery of the wreck, sought after for decades by treasure hunters.
Spain and indigenous Bolivians also claim the shipment. Europeans argue that the ship sunk by cannon fire by the English in 1708 belonged to their navy, while the Qhara Qhara people of Bolivia say that the riches were taken from their land, then colonized by the Spanish.
Colombia maintains that the galleon is “totally” its own, but has opened the possibility that other countries that help in the rescue receive “income” with the entrance tickets to the museum that will be built in Cartagena (north) to exhibit the jewels.
The then president, Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018), presented it as “the most valuable treasure that has been found in the history of humanity” and raised finance the operation to rescue him with part of the wealth found.
The plan was aborted by his successor, Iván Duque, who took office in 2018 and has postponed the contracting process pending guarantees that what was recovered will remain in Colombia.
“It would have been totally irresponsible to deliver the findings found in this heritage for the profit of some antique dealers, a shame,” Ramírez emphasized.
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