October 16th marked the Philippine National Museum Week and I just had to be there! I have been to the Philippine National Museum many times before but this day was indeed more special.
That day the National Heritage Museum unveiled the artifacts of the sunken galleon San Diego. The San Diego galleon's remains were recovered from Fortune Island, Batangas in 1991 by a team of Filipino and French archaeologists.
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| Top: A diorama of the wreck site in Batangas Bottom: A San Diego miniature |
The wrecksite of the once glorious Spanish galleon, carried about 30,000 items, including valuable artifacts such as 3,000 pieces of Ming Dynasty china, pottery and samurai swords.
Nearly 400 years after it was sunk by a Dutch warship, the San Diego has become a huge treasure chest and I was one of the lucky few to see it first.
When I read through the history of the shipwreck, I felt sad for the ship and its crew's fate. Some 100 human remains were recovered from the site, including remains of equine and cattle.
The ship was sunk by a Dutch warship in December 1600, when the ship's amateur captain decided to fight back. The ship was coursing the Manila-Acapulco Trade route when it was intercepted by the Dutch, who was then a close competitor of the Spaniards in the business of colonizing South East Asian countries.
As spectacular as it looks today, I am certain it was as frightful to watch when the ship met it's fate. But as horrifying as the ship's journey ended, I am somehow relieved that it was preserved well enough for our generation to see.
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| What the Admiral's table would have looked like. Adorned with nothing but the finest china during those days. |
Nearly 400 years after it was sunk by a Dutch warship, the San Diego has become a huge treasure chest and I was one of the lucky few to see it first.
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| These pots contained treasures and supplies. |
When I read through the history of the shipwreck, I felt sad for the ship and its crew's fate. Some 100 human remains were recovered from the site, including remains of equine and cattle.
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| Top: The remains of the ship's body, quite a number of bronze canons of different sizes. Bottom: One of the ship's anchors weighing more than a ton. |
The ship was sunk by a Dutch warship in December 1600, when the ship's amateur captain decided to fight back. The ship was coursing the Manila-Acapulco Trade route when it was intercepted by the Dutch, who was then a close competitor of the Spaniards in the business of colonizing South East Asian countries.
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| Top: A helmet which surely belonged to someone's head, that someone being one of the 100 human remains found in the site. Bottom: Being the strong Catholics that they were, they took an image of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus wherever the ship went |
As spectacular as it looks today, I am certain it was as frightful to watch when the ship met it's fate. But as horrifying as the ship's journey ended, I am somehow relieved that it was preserved well enough for our generation to see.
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