Research into Colombia’s San Jose galleon is shedding new light on the ship’s final voyage and its crew. The ship, which wrecked off Cartagena de Indias on June 8, 1708, during the Battle of Barú, claimed more than 600 lives and left its treasure and personal effects on the seabed. Historians and archaeologists now say archival documents and recent underwater research offer a clearer picture of what happened between May 28 and June 8, 1708.
Ship logs and provisioning lists discovered in archives in Colombia, Peru, Spain, and England show that the San José, which was built in 1698 as the flagship of the Spanish Empire’s Tierra Firme fleet, departed Portobelo, Panama, on May 28 under General José Fernández de Castillán. Researchers estimate close to 650 people sailed aboard, including sailors, soldiers, wealthy passengers from Andalusia and household staff from Galicia, the Basque Country and León. Passenger logs revealed the ages of some of the aboard staff ranging from 12-year-old apprentice sailors to officers in their 50s.
Logs show Colombia’s San Jose Galleon carried different types of provisions
Antonio Jaramillo, historian at the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History, told local newspaper El Espectador that provisioning lists from Cádiz archives revealed that the ship was also carrying goods such as hardtack, salted cod, pork, rice, legumes, wine, olive oil, and vinegar. These supplies were meant to sustain the crew on a months‑long Atlantic trip. “These documents give us a sense of daily life at sea,” Jaramillo said. “They show not just treasure but a floating community, as cooks, carpenters, mariners, and families all confined in one hull.”
On June 8, British warships under Commodore Charles Wager intercepted the Spanish fleet in the Barú Channel. Wager’s battle log, recently found in Greenwich, reveals recounts in which they engaged both San Jose Galleon and its sister ship, San Joaquín. According to his entries, English gunners attacked the broadsides while Spanish defenses, which consisted of natural reefs and shore batteries, failed to stem the attack. Only eleven of San José’s passengers and staff survived.
“Wager’s log is a treasure trove of detail,” Jaramillo noted. “It describes battle maneuvers and the legal aftermath. English captains faced a court martial in Jamaica for letting parts of the fleet escape.” Spanish survivors who took refuge in Cartagena later underwent their own investigations into why the flagship was lost and whether decisions made in Portobelo weakened its defenses.
Underwater investigations started last year have unearthed previously undiscovered artifacts from the wreck
Underwater investigations, which have been conducted since 2024 in the now‑protected archaeological area, have cataloged more than 1,100 artifacts and recorded 29 marine species coexisting amid the wreck. Archaeologist Juliana Quintero says some of the findings include Chinese porcelain shards, Caribbean‑style brandy bottles, large cooking cauldrons, and metates. Stone slabs used for grinding were also found. “These artifacts reveal a pan‑imperial network,” Quintero said. “The San José linked Cartagena not only to Spain but to Manila, Peru, and China via the Pacific and Caribbean circuits.”
Quintero’s team is reconstructing three phases of this event, the pre‑battle positioning, the battle itself, and the post‑battle withdrawal. Using British Admiralty charts, Spanish naval correspondence, and eyewitness reports, they’ve mapped ship approaches, shore defenses, and sight lines. “We’re examining terrain advantages, natural reefs versus man‑made obstacles, and how both squadrons maneuvered,” she explained. “This goes beyond treasure legends, to real‑time colonial warfare.”
Archives all over the world show the legal ramifications of the battle
Archival sources at the Archivo General de la Nación in Lima, the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, and the National Archives in London also explain the legal fallout of the battle. On the English side, captains were tried for failing to destroy the entire Tierra Firme fleet. On the Spanish side, inquiries probed why orders from Portobelo left the San José vulnerable. “These documents show that both sides faced consequences,” Jaramillo said. “They underscore the battle’s complexity.”
Archaeologists are mapping cargo dispersal on the seabed. Heavy items such as bronze cannons and anchors, which have been sinking for centuries, are now surrounded by coral, while lighter objects, like porcelain shards and glass bottles, have been scattered by currents. Identifying porcelain origins has become a key focus for the team. “By tracing these artifacts back to kiln sites in Jingdezhen or trade hubs in Manila, we reconstruct San José’s trade routes,” Quintero said. “It highlights Cartagena’s role in global exchange.”
Researchers also stress the need to dispel myths of total Spanish domination. Jaramillo points out that the San José sailed through Kuna territory in San Blas (now Guna Yala), independent of European powers. “Cartagena’s connections extended beyond Spain to Jamaica, Havana, and Pacific ports like Acapulco and Manila,” he said. “This galleon’s story is one of global connectivity, not unilateral colonial rule.”
Next, the team will publish a catalog of recovered artifacts, metallic tools, ceramics, textiles, and personal items, as well as finalize a detailed seabed map distinguishing Spanish and English wreckage fields. “This will clarify not only battle tactics but also how the aftermath shaped colonial geopolitics,” Quintero said.