Archaeologists discover 400-year-old Spanish coin at Chile's 'Port of Famine' settlement site
In March, during excavations of a church at Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe, a failed Spanish settlement founded in 1584, archaeologists in Chile discovered a 400-year-old silver coin. The Spanish real de a ocho, adorned with the insignia of Philip II, validates historical records of the colony's founding ceremony. This research was conducted by historian Soledad González Díaz from Bernardo O'Higgins University and archaeologist Francisco Garrido from Chile's National Museum of Natural History. Established by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa on the northern side of the Strait of Magellan, the colony, known as Puerto del Hambre, succumbed to starvation, disease, and severe conditions within a few years. Researchers employed noninvasive technology to uncover the coin, the first global currency.
Key facts
- A 400-year-old Spanish silver coin was discovered at the Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe settlement site in Chile
- The coin bears the insignia of Philip II of Spain and was found on a stone foundation during church excavations in March
- The discovery confirms written accounts of the colony's founding ceremony in 1584
- The settlement was established by Spanish navigator Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa on the north side of the Strait of Magellan
- Most settlers died from starvation, disease, and harsh conditions within a few years
- The research involved collaboration between Bernardo O'Higgins University and Chile's National Research and Development Agency
- Archaeologists used noninvasive technology including metal detectors to locate the coin
- The coin is a Spanish real de a ocho, considered the first global currency during the Age of Discovery
Entities
Artists
- Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
- Ferdinand Magellan
- Francis Drake
- Thomas Cavendish
- Thomas Fuller
- Philip II of Spain
- Soledad González Díaz
- Francisco Garrido
- Alejandra Irigoin
- Bridget Millmore
- Michele Debczak
- Tom Metcalfe
Institutions
- Bernardo O'Higgins University
- National Research and Development Agency (Chile)
- National Museum of Natural History (Chile)
- Centro de Estudios Históricos y Humanidades
- Live Science
- Heritage Daily
- Smithsonian Magazine
- History Channel
- Mental Floss
- IndieWire
- Eater
- Vice
Locations
- Chile
- Strait of Magellan
- Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe
- Puerto del Hambre
- South America
- Atlantic Ocean
- Pacific Ocean
- North Carolina
- Roanoke
- England
- Spain
- Brooklyn
- New York