Concepción: In Search of Shipwrecked Treasure

The Nuestra Señora de La Pura y Limpia Concepción was a tall sailing ship of the Spanish Treasure fleet, bearing loads of gold and silver back to Spain to line the vaults of the Crown and its backers. When the ill-fated galleon set sail from Havana in 1641, it was the fleet's second attempt to bear its riches across the sea to its destination of Seville, where the horde of plundered Central American metals would be minted into the famed pieces of 8 that would drive many a pirate to wreckless deed.

Their first voyage attempt met with devastating hurricanes that damaged some of the ships and forced them back to port for hasty repairs. Under the command of Vice Admiral Juan Luis de Villavicencio, the 600 ton Concepción was already leaking a bit before the storm; now the boat was loaded to capacity with riches and her undersized rudder could barely handle the load.

Besides tons of silver from the plentiful mines in Mexico and Bolivia, the vessel carried goods from the Orient as well, including jade, silk, spices, indigo and porcelain. This load had been shipped to Acapulco from India and China via Manila galleons then carried overland across Mexico before being loaded aboard the Concepción at Veracruz.