Treasures of £14,800,000,000 'Holy Grail' shipwreck revealed in new images
Stunning underwater photos have brought researchers one step closer to confirming the location of the 'holy grail of shipwrecks'.
The San José, a Spanish ship, sunk in June 1708 after an attack by the British Royal Navy off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia.
At least 200 tonnes of gold, silver, gems, jewellery and other treasures collected in Spain's South American colonies were being shipped to King Philip V to finance his war of succession against the British.
Spain and Britain were fighting the War of the Spanish Succession.
But the huge hoard, thought to be worth about £14.8billion ($20billion) in today's money, went down with the ship and only 11 of its 600 sailors survived.
The Colombian navy claimed it found the San José wreck in 2015, but evidence of its identity was limited – but new research published this week provides the strongest evidence yet that they are correct.
The study, published in the Antiquity journal, includes pictures taken by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) examining the shipwreck which rests about 1,970ft below the surface.
The high-quality images, using advanced underwater imaging and high-resolution scans of the coins, revealed the date the coins were struck.
The coins, known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish, feature the mark of Lima, Peru. Some are stamped with the royal symbols of Castile and León, the emblems of Spain's empire.
Crucially they are dated 1707, which is the year the San José set sail.
Archaeologist Daniela Vargas Ariza, of Colombia's Naval Cadet School and the National Institute of Anthropology and History, explained: Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries. More Trending
'This body of evidence substantiates the identification of the wreck as the San José Galleon.
'The finding of cobs created in 1707 at the Lima Mint points to a vessel navigating the Tierra Firme route in the early eighteenth century.
'The San José galleon is the only ship that matches these characteristics.'
In 2023, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he would raise the wreckage before his time in office ends in 2026.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: Canary Islands hit by fourth power cut in only weeks
MORE: Scientists who say there's a 'secret city' under Giza pyramid have now 'found a second one'
MORE: ITV drops all episodes of mystery drama full of 'dark twists' for free
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
8 hours ago
- Metro
Swatch sorry for 'slanted eyes' ad after China uproar
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Chinese social media users have threatened to boycott Swiss watchmaker Swatch after an ad showed a model pulling the corner of his eyes. The image prompted uproar amid accusations it resembled the racist 'slanted eye' gesture used to mock Asians. Swatch has since apologised and taken down the advert online. The company said in a post on Instagram and Chinese social media channel Weibo that it had 'taken note of the recent concerns regarding the portrayal of a model'. 'We sincerely apologize for any distress or misunderstanding this may have caused,' they added. The watchmaker's response has failed to quieten anger in China around the picture. One Weibo poster, who has more than 1 million followers, accused Swatch of 'racism against Chinese'. Another wrote: 'They make money from us and still dare to discriminate against Chinese people. We would be spineless if we don't boycott it out of China.' Swatch, whose brands also include Blancpain, Longines, and Tissot, rakes in around 27% of its revenue from China, Hong Kong, and Macau. However the company has seen falling sales in China due to the country's economic slowdown. The group blamed an 11.2% drop in net sales for the first six months of the year on poor demand in China. Other luxury brands have also faced accusations of racism from their adverts. French company Dior sparked outrage after an advert showed a model pulling the corner of her eye. More Trending The picture, posted on Instagram in 2023, was quickly taken down after criticism by Chinese social media users. Dolce & Gabbana also faced calls for a boycott in 2018 after it posted a video showing a Chinese model clumsily eating Italian food with chopsticks. The fashion house cancelled its Shanghai show after the backlash. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: American tourist's £660 'extreme day trip' to Ireland raises a lot of questions MORE: Ibiza Final Boss's rise to fame shows no sign of slowing down after releasing track on Spotify MORE: Chinese warship ploughs into own coast guard chasing Phillippine vessel
Scottish Sun
21 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Diner's fury as trendy Ibiza bar charges her £10 just to hang her BAG up – and she has the receipt to prove it
The restaurant hit back saying it was a 'misunderstanding' ON THE HOOK Diner's fury as trendy Ibiza bar charges her £10 just to hang her BAG up – and she has the receipt to prove it Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) OUTRAGED diners have slammed an Ibiza bar after it charged a diner £10 to hang her handbag on a table hook. The fuming customer even shared the receipt to prove the bizarre fee which was slapped on her check at a sushi restaurant on the Spanish island. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The restaurant is located in holiday hotspot Ibiza (stock) 3 A restaurant charged a customer £10 for a 'bag hook' Credit: Getty Tourist Laura Cunei took to social media to share the mind-boggling check which she received after eating at Wakame Ibiza. The receipt said she had been charged €12 (£10) for "gancho bolsa" which means "bag hook" as part of her meal on August 5. She wrote: "The waitress kindly offers to hang our bags on a little hook at the table. "We decline her offer, but due to her insistence, we accepted. "Our surprise upon seeing the this normal? Is it legal?" The stunned diner added: "When we saw the receipt, we told them it didn't seem right to pay that much because we hadn't asked for it. "They told us we could keep the hook if we wanted. "After our refusal and our incredulous expressions, they gave us a new receipt without the 'bag hook' tag." Seething social media users piled on outraged comments on the social media post. Hospitality expert Jesus Soriano, who uploads real-life examples of restaurant rip-offs, shared her post on TikTok. Monkey gang caught 'running scam' targeting tourists at sacred temple One outraged user said: "They'll be charging us to breathe next." Another user even made the jaw-dropping claim that they had been charged extra for having a "good" table. Meanwhile another weighed in saying on one occasion they had been charged nearly £2 per person for not having starters. Spain's consumer protection agency OCU replied to the post on X giving a link to file a complaint. The restaurant's furious bosses later claimed the charge had been a "misunderstanding". Wakame Ibiza said on Instagram: "The amount that appeared on the ticket was the result of an error in our system. "It was marked as a merchandising item with a price, when it should have been shown with zero cost." It comes as diners around the world have been slapped with other unexpected surcharges as part of their restaurant receipts. In the US, outraged diners slammed restaurants for adding extra surcharges onto receipts. The hidden fees were branded "silly and disingenuous" by online users, who poured out on social media to vent their fury at the changes. Tourists have also reported other alleged scams in popular holiday hotspots. Fuming Brit holidaymakers reeled in by prices as low as £7 accused Croatian-based Carwiz of bullying sales tactics, fabricating damage, verbal abuse and even assault. Online reviews of the firm's franchises seen by The Sun allege staff have forged documents, up-sold unnecessary insurance, and taken unauthorised payments from credit cards.
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Spain's party island Ibiza also suffers housing crunch as rents soar
Tourists sleep at the Figueretas beach during the sunrise in Ibiza, Spain, August 31, 2025. REUTERS/Nacho Doce Photography and reporting by Nacho Doce Reporting and writing by David Latona Filed: August 18, 2025, 08 a.m. GMT It's another night, another party at a hotel in Ibiza. The international clientele dances to the house beat while laser lights reflect on the curvy swimming pool and on a sea of sunglasses worn after dark at the open-air venue. Many party-goers wear all-white; some show signs of altered perception. Ask those queuing outside this place and some of the Spanish Mediterranean island's legendary nightclubs and they'll say they're spending a lot but the experience is worth it. However, behind Ibiza's clubbing scene and beaches a housing crisis has forced many locals and seasonal workers to share cramped apartments, commute from off the island or stay in tents and motorhomes in unauthorised encampments. Ibiza's problems reflect a broader issue in Spain, where a lack of affordable housing in cities and popular coastal destinations has sparked protests to demand rent controls and denounce overtourism. Activists accuse landlords of preferring short-term tourist lets to less-profitable extended leases. In Ibiza, nearly 800 people have resorted to living in makeshift settlements, according to local authorities' figures from last year, which don't include an estimated 200 who lived in shacks, tents and vans at the 'Can Rovi 2' camp before being evicted last month. 'The island is paradise, the most beautiful place I've ever seen. But it has a flipside,' said Jeronimo Diana, a 50-year-old water technician from Argentina who stayed at Can Rovi 2. A normal monthly rent would swallow most of his 1,800-euro salary, Diana said. Ibiza's average rents peaked at 33.7 euros per square metre in July last year, a 23% rise from July 2023, data from property website Idealista shows. That translates to about 1,500 euros ($1,756) for a small one-bedroom apartment. Spain's national minimum wage is 1,381 euros per month. In one possible knock-on effect, Ibiza is seeing a growing shortage of teachers and health workers, according to regional government data. Some public servants commute from neighbouring Balearic islands Menorca and Mallorca. Maria Jose Tejero, a 24-year-old emergency medical technician, said she shares a small flat with two housemates to make ends meet because the rent is twice her salary. Crewing an ambulance at night sometimes makes her feel 'like a babysitter', Tejero said. 'People come here, drink, take drugs and think life's just a party when that life can also end.' Deflated balloons litter a bar-lined street in popular tourist town Sant Antoni. Dealers discreetly inflate the balloons with nitrous oxide - laughing gas - selling the brief high for 5 euros a pop. Lia Romero, a 28-year-old nurse from Spain's Canary Islands who sometimes moonlights as a dancer at Ibiza's club Amnesia, said she also shares a flat and can't afford bar cover charges or dining out. 'Ibiza is all about posturing and displays of wealth,' she said, 'leaving no room for ordinary people.' According to the regional statistics institute, Ibiza received 3.28 million tourists in 2024, 76% from outside Spain, while the island's resident population reached a record 161,485. Jonathan Ariza, a mechanic and construction worker from Colombia who said he is seeking political asylum in Spain, lives in a trailer near the island's main hospital. 'As long as tourists keep coming, there'll be people willing to live in precarious conditions to be employed,' he said. Alejandra, a 31-year-old Colombian with a residence permit, lives in a shelter managed by Catholic charity Caritas after failing to secure a rental. She said she slept in a tent with her 3-year-old son David until they were evicted. Alejandra said she had a new hotel job and wanted to move out of the shelter, but worried about losing work 'for being slow' as she raced to log the Social Security contributions required to renew her permit. Social workers Gustavo Gomez and Belen Torres, who run the Caritas shelter, said landlords routinely discriminate against families with children and evict tenants to replace them with tourists during the more lucrative summer months. Local authorities are cracking down on illegal tourist rentals, imposing fines that start at 40,001 euros on those who post them. Vacation rental companies have agreed to automatically withdraw advertisements officials deem illegal instead of waiting for a slower judicial ruling, said Ibiza Council Vice-President Mariano Juan of the conservative People's Party, which governs the wider Balearic region. In Juan's view, high demand and limited buildable land result in 'absolutely illogical' rent prices on Ibiza. At a national level, the centre-left government has pledged to triple the state housing budget and speed construction of social housing. But a 2023 law that introduced some rent controls has seen limited success, as many opposition-controlled regions decline to apply the rules given they have a high level of autonomy in housing policy. National landlord lobby ASVAL rejects rent controls, arguing they shrink supply and raise prices. It says the best ways to bring down rents are public incentives and more construction. Saray Benito, 32, said work as a contortionist and torch juggler at the famous Cafe del Mar is scarce in winter. Over 12 years in Ibiza, she said she has had to move 20 times and sometimes sleep on balconies. Italian drag performer Eva Cavallini, who is famous in the LGBTQ-friendly La Virgen district near Ibiza Town's port, lamented that soaring travel and accommodation costs dissuade other artists from visiting. 'Ten years ago, we were around 200. Now it's just me - the only survivor here. If things keep going this way, the island is finished.' The Wider Image Photography and reporting: Nacho Doce Reporting and writing: David Latona Additional reporting: Horaci Garcia Photo editing: Marta Montaña and Maye-E Wong Design: Marta Montaña Text editing: Frances Kerry LICENSE THIS STORY Follow Reuters
