Archaeology in the Laboratory

Much of the archaeological work was conducted in a specialized laboratory for the cleaning, consolidation, and stabilization of waterlogged materials. During these treatments, recovered objects were studied and recorded to determine their role in telling the story of the Tristán de Luna expedition. Objects were prepared for interpretive public displays. Much of this work was undertaken by staff and local volunteers.

What They Left Behind

More than 5,000 artifacts and ecofacts are recovered during the two investigative campaigns. Although the ship was salvaged by survivors after sinking, elements of the ship’s equipment, armament, precious cargoes, and remnants of its last voyage of colonization were recovered from the lower hull. Although waterlogged after centuries in the sea, these materials, including shoe leather and ceramics, botanical and faunal remains, and galleywares and other tools, were found in excellent stages of preservation.

Florida’s Forgotten Colony

This chapter tells the story of the ill-fated colonization attempt by Tristán de Luna to settle La Florida on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts for the Kingdom of Spain. Based on archival documentation, the history relates how 1,500 settlers and soldiers voyaged from Mexico to Pensacola with royal orders to build townsites, farm the land, and defend the new colony. This epic effort became doomed when, shortly after their arrival, the immigrants were struck by a hurricane that destroyed their supplies and foodstuffs. Despite several relief voyages and efforts to resettle elsewhere, the colony collapsed and became a forgotten chapter in Latin American history.

What We Learned

Based on field, laboratory, and archival research, discoveries made at the shipwreck systematically told their stories, allowing the wrecked ship and its remains to be closely dated and identified as part of the Luna fleet that sank in 1559 during a violent hurricane in Pensacola Bay. At that time, the ship was a veteran of transatlantic trade, subsequently joining the Luna expedition as one of the larger vessels carrying people and their supplies to Florida.

Pensacola’s Public Participation

The Emanuel Point Shipwreck became a household topic of discussion in Pensacola and surrounding communities due to a public-oriented project that welcomed volunteers, student interns, and visiting professionals, all of whom shared their experiences through lectures, tours, and news events. The Florida Secretary of State, Florida’s Governor, and ultimately the King and Queen of Spain took the opportunity to visit the shipwreck project.

Marine ArchaeologyComes to Pensacola

This chapter relates how a partnership between public, private, and academic entities was formed to begin a maritime survey of Pensacola Bay. Public awareness and sponsorship for the survey grew as dozens of wrecked or abandoned watercraft were recorded, culminating in the discovery of a well-preserved sixteenth-century Spanish shipwreck. This discovery prompted two campaigns of archaeological investigations to explore the site.

The Old Spaniard

The chapter introduces the reader to the newly discovered shipwreck in Pensacola Bay, Florida, and sets the scene for the unfolding story of an early, but unsuccessful, Spanish attempt at the colonization of the North American mainland. Subsequent chapters are introduced so that the reader can anticipate the research, field and laboratory work, and public impact of this significant archaeological discovery.

New Discoveries

The Emanuel Point Shipwreck helped to persuade the University of West Florida to begin a program of maritime archaeology. Those students ultimately continued the survey of Pensacola Bay, finding another Luna shipwreck near the first one and then, recently, a third sister ship in the fleet. Above the shipwrecks on the Emanuel Point Bluff, remnants of the settlement site have also been found, creating an unparalleled opportunity to study the maritime and terrestrial components of that forgotten chapter and bring its remains to light.

Nautical Archaeology of a Shipwreck

This chapter explores the well-preserved lower hull of the Emanuel Point Shipwreck during two campaigns of methodical excavation. We investigate and study the ship’s central mainmast and pump well; the tail end of the structure, including the sternpost and displaced rudder; and the collapsed bow section, with anchor and gunport covers. Perhaps 40 percent of the shipwreck site is explored, allowing critical dimensions of the ship’s structure to be measured for an estimation of its cargo capacity (tonnage).