Controversy has resurfaced in Colombia over the San José, a Spanish galleon that sank in 1708 with a cargo of gold, silver, and emeralds. The oversight group Veeduría Nacional para el Control Social del Patrimonio Cultural Sumergido de Colombia (VNPCS) issued an open letter to the attorney general, alleging a lack of transparency, looting, and unauthorized interventions at the wreck site in 2016 and 2022. The group claims that the site's coordinates, considered a state secret, have been disclosed. The dispute involves multiple parties, including the Swiss treasure-hunting firm Maritime Archaeology Consultants (MAC), which helped locate the ship in 2015 and is now seeking compensation, and the US-based salvage company Sea Search Armada, which claims to have found the galleon in the 1980s and is seeking $10 billion. The ship was designated a protected archaeological area in 2024, placing it under the jurisdiction of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH), but critics argue that earlier allegations of looting were ignored.
This controversy matters because it highlights the tension between archaeological preservation and commercial treasure hunting, a recurring issue in underwater cultural heritage. The San José is one of the world's most disputed shipwrecks, and the outcome of legal battles and excavation plans could set precedents for how such sites are managed globally. The case also raises questions about transparency, scientific rigor, and the financial burden on the Colombian public, as steep legal costs and potential payouts to claimants could affect the country. The retrieval of artifacts in November 2025, without clear scientific justification, has further fueled concerns about the destruction of deep-sea archaeological contexts.