Colombia recovers first treasures from 300-year-old ‘holy grail of shipwrecks’

Colombia has recovered some treasures from a 300-year-old shipwreck called the San José including coins and a canon. Colombia Ministry of Culture

Colombia has recovered gold and bronze coins, a porcelain cup and a cannon from a sunken Spanish warship dubbed the “holy grail of shipwrecks.”

The artifacts are the first treasures to be recovered from the wreckage of the San José, a Spanish galleon that was sunk by the British Royal Navy in the Caribbean more than 300 years ago.

At the time of its sinking, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the San José had been carrying large amounts of gold, silver and emeralds from Spanish colonies in Latin American back to the Spanish king.

Collectively, those treasures are believed to be worth billions of dollars in today’s money and they