The coordinates of the doomed Spanish settlement, Rey Don Felipe, remained a mystery to the maritime world for over four centuries. Recently, however, archaeologists in southern Chile uncovered a 440-year-old silver coin that serves as a definitive geographic anchor where this doomed colony was located. The coin, which was found using advanced metal detection, is the ‘Real de a Ocho’ (piece of eight) and was located exactly where 16th-century records indicate the church was built for the city. The find also represents a ‘foundation deposit’ process that proves the location of ‘Port Famine,’ where nearly 300 settlers died from hunger and exposure. Thus, it is a physical reminder of an incredibly tragic colonial failure in human history.
Discovery of a 440-year-old silver coin at a lost Spanish colony
Researchers from Bernardo O’Higgins University (UBO) have found a silver ‘Real de a Ocho’ (Piece of Eight) coin from Potosí (present-day Bolivia) in the Strait of Magellan. The coin is believed to have been deposited during the ‘founding ritual’ of the settlement of Rey Don Felipe on March 25, 1584, as reported in historical accounts. Often, Spanish explorers and colonisers buried a coin under the cornerstone of a new church to consecrate the site, with this coinage acting as a ‘geographic anchor’ for the entire site.
The role of King Philip II’s in southern colonisation
The coin features the heraldic emblems of the Spanish Crown and the Jerusalem cross, identifying it as a piece of currency during the reign of King Philip II. Maritime archaeologists consider such coins to be critical for establishing the dates of strata for archaeological sites and confirming their cultural characteristics. As noted in a research paper published on ResearchGate, the presence of this exact Potosí minted silver is also indicative of the fact that the colonisers who established themselves in South America had access to high-value currencies created to enable the establishment of a permanent economy at the end of the continent.
How harsh climates defeated Spain’s defence against Sir Francis Drake
The site of the coin has been verified to be situated at Puerto del Hambre. The colony was established as a way of protecting the Strait of Magellan from English privateers, particularly Sir Francis Drake. However, the colony was so isolated and subject to harsh climatic conditions that the colonists faced insurmountable environmental hostility of survival. Historical records from the Chilean government show that of the 300 settlers who were there, only about five were alive at the time English navigator Thomas Cavendish came across the site in 1587 and found it occupied by a ‘city of the dead.’ Mapping the ruins provides important information on early European attempts to colonise sub-Antarctic areas of the world.
Balancing discovery with site integrity in Southern Chile
This excavation is part of a project funded by the Chilean Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage. The research team used high-precision geolocation and non-invasive scanning methods to find soil anomalies before excavation, which allowed them to locate this small silver artefact without disturbing either the delicate permafrost or the structural remains of the 16th-century fortifications located at the site. As such, the site remains intact for continued study of the logistics and survival strategies of the colonial period.