UNESCO highlights encouraging results from mission seeking Columbus-era ships

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has praised the promising outcomes of a joint mission between Spain and the Dominican Republic focused on locating historic shipwrecks. Celebrated on the first International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage, the initiative is actively searching for vessels that sank in La Isabela and its bay, a site crucial to Christopher Columbus's expeditions.

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This initiative is strengthening the Dominican national capacities for the generation of scientific knowledge, the in situ preservation of said heritage, and its sustainable management, for the benefit of present and future generations.

"This initiative is strengthening the Dominican national capacities for the generation of scientific knowledge, the in situ preservation of said heritage, and its sustainable management, for the benefit of present and future generations," stated Anne Lemaistre, UNESCO's Regional Director in Havana. She noted that initial underwater missions in 2024 and 2026 yielded encouraging results, suggesting potential findings at what is considered the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Americas, established after Columbus's 1493 voyage.

Funding for these initial phases has been provided by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), with support from the Ministries of Culture in both Spain and the Dominican Republic. A joint commission between Spanish authorities and UNESCO is scheduled for early 2027 to assess funding for excavation work. Alejandro Gumá Ruiz, UNESCO's Culture Officer in Havana, revealed that over 40 underwater anomalies have been identified. These seabed irregularities require excavation to determine if they represent underwater cultural heritage.

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there are more than 40 underwater anomalies, which are irregularities on the seabed that may or may not be due to the presence of underwater cultural heritage, which can only be determined in the excavation phase.

The potential discoveries could date back to Christopher Columbus's second voyage or span the historically rich period from the 16th to the 18th centuries, possibly including Spanish galleons. The Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001) governs these findings, promoting their preservation in their marine environment. La Isabela is a key multilateral project for UNESCO, which is celebrating its first International Day for Underwater Cultural Heritage.

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these findings may correspond to the second voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Americas, but they may also indicate the presence of underwater heritage from the 16th to the 18th centuries, which was a very rich period.