Cozumel Shipwrecks
Published: 12/09/2009 by Pawel Newak for DiscoverCozumel.net
Cozumel Island is one of the most beautiful place for treasure diving. Cozumel Island lies off the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It is covered by swamp and jungle and has scattered ruins from the Mayan civilization. Cozumel offers diving access to its prestine coral reefs. Most dives are done as drift dives from boats with a few shore dives also available.
Now a bit about the island ... Cozumel is Mexico's largest island, nestled just 12 miles off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Cozumel measures 28 miles long & 10 miles wide, and is world renown for it's dazzling white sandy beaches and the remarkable clarity of the multi-hued azure Caribbean ocean in which it rests. The Maya were a great culture of farmers, fisherman & warriors who ruled from Campeche to Guatamala for over 2000 years before the arrival of the Spanish Explorers in the 15th Century.
They were quite an advanced civilazation, and the legacy of their culture survives in the vestiges of the huge cities that they built during their reign. One of the lesser known, but very interesting sites is here on the island and is called San Gervacio. Now a park with a resoration project to study the Mayan culture, this was once a sacred site where Mayan women journeyed to worship the goddess Ixchel, the goddess of fertility. Other facinating sites such as Chichen Itza with its massive pyramids that rival those at Cheops, and Tulum, the only Mayan city built overlooking the sea.
There are many ships which sank in the Cozumel waters over the centuries. For example in 1606 on the North side of the Island, the Spanish ship called „San Miguel” sank with the gold and silver cargo on board. That ship carried cargo recovered from the galleon which sank in 1605 under don Luis Fernandez de Cordoba. The documents have been found by me in Archivo General de Indias in Seville, in the section called „Guatemala”, legajo number 1.
The man who described the accident is Pedro de Izaguirre. The other ship called „Nuestra Senora de Candelaria” sank in 1615 in the same waters. The ship under don Juan Esteban sailed from Honduras. The documents have been found in Archivo General de Indias in Seville, in the section called „Contratacion”, legajo 5115. There is one more ship called „La Candelaria” which sank in 1623 under don Juan de Paternina. The ship sailed to Santo Domingo. The papers have been found by me in Archivo General de Indias in Seville, in the section called „Contratacion”, legajo 1172, 2899. In 1748 Spanish frigate called „San Antonio de Padua” (alias „La Bella Sara”) sank in the Isla de Mujeres waters. The papers have been found by me in the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, in the section called „Contratacion”, legajo 2902.
In 1555 the Spanish ship called „Santa Cruz” sank in the Cozumel waters. The ship sailed under don Juan de Mondragón and sank in the northern part of the Island. The ship carried a great cargo on board and sank with all crew on board.
[...] Cuaderno de las partidas de oro y plata que se tomaron a pasajeros y particulares y otras personas de la nao de Cosmé Buytron que se perdió de Año de 1555 [...]
The documents related to the ship I have found in the Archivo General de Indias in Seville in the section called: Contratacion, legajo 58 and Archivo General de Simancas in the section called: Consejo y Junta de Hacienda, legajo 26 y 27.
Photo Gallery
