Museo de Arqueología Subacuática Fuerte de San José
The fort of San José el Alto in Campeche, built for defence against the English, which also resisted sieges by the Yucatecans and the French, today contains an important collection of archaeological objects submerged in marine waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean. In addition, the museum exhibits a collection of antique historical arms from the 16th to the 19th centuries, a rare cannon salvaged from the sea and scale models of famous ships.
The Underwater Archeology Museum of San José el Alto houses a notable collection of objects from archeological contexts under the sea of the Gulf of Mexico and in the Mexican Caribbean. The museum’s original name, the Museum of Ships and Arms of the Fort of San José el Alto, was changed in December 2017 to the Underwater Archeology Museum of San José el Alto, to reflect the addition of a gallery to display this collection, which is unique in Mexico.
The INAH Section for Underwater Archeology amassed its underwater collection over four decades of work on a variety of regional projects. The site has also received a Good Practice Statement under the 2001 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Underwater Heritage. Its purpose is to promote the protection of this aspect of heritage through ownership and visibility.
The museum has six galleries in service, displaying weapons from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. The collection includes sabres and swords which belonged to Don Pedro Sáinz de Baranda y Borreiro, General Antonio Gaona, Don Agustín de Iturbide, General Manuel Gómez Pedraza and to Don Mariano Escobedo. Other interesting pieces which can be seen in the museum are: a 1552 demi-culverin which was a cylindrical bronze cannon, found in the Sound of Campeche and the oldest of its type in the western hemisphere; the “greyhound” tiller as it is known because of the ebony carving of a dog found in the late nineteenth century in the bed of the river Viejo or Seco, which is a tributary of the river Palizada. Among the scale models of ships, the galleon stands out, as it demonstrates the characteristics of the trading vessels which crossed the Atlantic between Spain and America. Another interesting ship is the copy of the Golden Hind, a fine example of naval model-making which shows the typical structure of a pirate ship, captained by the English corsair Francis Drake, who besieged the port of San Francisco de Campeche with his cousin John Hawkins in 1567.
Among the most significant of the easel oil paintings is a painting of Saint Ignatius of Loyola dating to the start of the eighteenth century. It is by Cristóbal de Villalpando, a very significant artist of the viceregal period. The portrait of the famous Campeche sailor Don Pedro Sáinz de Baranda y Borreiro, who directed the siege of the castle of San Juan de Ulúa, in Veracruz, achieving the capitulation of the last Spanish stronghold, bringing about Mexican independence on November 23, 1825.
The museum highlights begin with the building housing the museum itself, which was built in the eighteenth century, representing the advances in military architecture of the period. Other things worth looking at are the man-made slope leading up to the walls (which made it easy to spot potential attackers), the narrow path, which served the same defensive purpose for the entrances, the moat, the merlons (narrow reinforced battlements, between which cannons could be fired for better protection), the embrasures (narrow windows to protect the people firing from inside), the sentry towers (small jutting towers with embrasures in the angles of the walls of the fort to shoot in various directions), the scarp and a counterscarp (walls sloped inwards and outwards to make those attacking the fort more visible) and the parapet walk (the wide rooftop where the troops and canons maneuvered).
It is also well worthwhile standing on the parapet to look at the view, whether the sea horizon, the coastline and wetlands of the Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve to the north, or most popular of all, weather permitting, the sunset to the west.
France, Spain and Italy were united by Bourbon family pacts which drew them into wars with serious consequences. In the Seven Year War (1756-1753) Spain was forced to declare hostilities on England. In 1762 a British fleet took control of Havana and Manila. When peace was signed, Spain recovered its ports but lost Florida with its port of San Agustín founded in 1565, while England’s rights over Belize were recognized.
The situation of the Yucatan became particularly delicate, coming under threat from the English because of its strategic position as the other peninsula at the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico. For this reason Don Antonio Olivier, the governor of San Francisco de Campeche wrote to Charles III, the king of Spain, to inform him that his position was not tenable in the face of England’s expansionist ambitions. The engineer and infantry brigadier Agustín Crame then proposed a project to the crown which included the construction of six military forts including the fort of San José el Alto, which was also known as the “fort of the three stones.”
Construction was completed in 1792 and included the coastal batteries of San Matías and San Lucas, whose lines of fire would impede an enemy landing. The supervision of the works was handled by the king’s lieutenant Don José Sabido de Vargas. It came under the administration of the War Ministry after Mexican independence, although it was abandoned for a long time before its eventual restoration in 1988.
Introduction to Underwater Archaeology
This room explains what Underwater Archaeology is, as a discipline dedicated to investigating ancient societies through the collection of data and specialized studies of objects, human remains, or animal remains submerged in seas, rivers, lakes, lagoons, springs, swamps, marshes, streams, cenotes
This room explains what Underwater Archaeology is, as a discipline dedicated to investigating ancient societies through the collection of data and specialized studies of objects, human remains, or animal remains submerged in seas, rivers, lakes, lagoons, springs, swamps, marshes, streams, cenotes, flooded caves, semi-flooded caves, lakes, and land reclaimed from the sea. It also shows in a didactic way how underwater cultural heritage is located, protected, studied, and conserved, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary work, the application of technology, and the involvement of fishermen.
Underwater archaeology requires the collaboration of teams that include various specialists such as underwater archaeologists, historians, physical anthropologists, social anthropologists, restorers, biologists, paleontologists, paleobotanists, paleoanthropologists, oceanographers, hydrographers, geographers, geologists, architects, engineers specializing in archaeological materials, chemists, surveyors, photographers, or videographers. It also requires the participation of fishing communities, ejidatarios, recreational divers, speleologists, and cave divers who support exploration to discover underwater and semi-submerged archaeological sites.
The Submerged Origin
Through this immersive room, the visitor can enter a cave where the formation of Mexican territory over 165 million years ago is explained, with a particular focus on life that existed underwater in the Yucatán Peninsula, its transformation, and the paleoenvironment until the Ice Age (from 40,000
Through this immersive room, the visitor can enter a cave where the formation of Mexican territory over 165 million years ago is explained, with a particular focus on life that existed underwater in the Yucatán Peninsula, its transformation, and the paleoenvironment until the Ice Age (from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago). Highlights include life-size representations of Pleistocene fauna, such as mammoth tusks, the skull of a saber-toothed tiger, and the skeleton of a sloth—three of the thirteen species discovered in the Hoyo Negro cave in Tulum, Quintana Roo. The history narrated by Naia, the oldest woman in America, immerses visitors in the prehistoric world now submerged.
The Maya Navigators
This room displays pieces from various underwater archaeological contexts submerged in continental waters, linked to the Maya culture, which materially evidence the connection between divine concepts, such as water, the womb of the earth, and the underworld as a sacred space of death, life, and r
This room displays pieces from various underwater archaeological contexts submerged in continental waters, linked to the Maya culture, which materially evidence the connection between divine concepts, such as water, the womb of the earth, and the underworld as a sacred space of death, life, and rebirth. Key finds come from underwater archaeological sites in the cenote San Manuel, Tizimín municipality, and cenotes in Homún and Chemax, Yucatán. These sacred spaces revealed "chocolatera" jars from the Late Preclassic period (400 BC to 200 AD), similar to those found in terrestrial sites in Belize and Guatemala, associated with burials or mortuary deposits.
Shipwrecks and Navigation Instruments
European navigators who arrived in the New World brought with them technological advancements that allowed them to cross the Atlantic using sailing ships (15th century) and aboard galleons (16th and 17th centuries).
European navigators who arrived in the New World brought with them technological advancements that allowed them to cross the Atlantic using sailing ships (15th century) and aboard galleons (16th and 17th centuries).
This room displays various instruments, including compasses, astrolabes, sextants, and lead line (from various shipwrecks located in the Sonda de Campeche). These objects were crucial for navigation and enabled, starting in the 15th century, "open-ocean" navigation, meaning sailing far from the shore without any point of reference except the stars. Thanks to these inventions, sailors could better estimate their position at sea, determine the course, understand the nature of the seabed to avoid accidents, and use the winds and currents more efficiently. Notable items in this room include a 16th-century bronze half-culebrina from the Cayo Nuevo I shipwreck, considered the oldest cannon of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, and an ebony rudder recovered from the Arroyo Seco, Palizada, Campeche.
The Treasure of the Alacranes Reef
This collection, one of the most important in the museum, showcases objects made of gold, emeralds, and other precious stones, along with silver macuquinas coins recovered from the exploration of the Ancla Macuca shipwreck in the Alacranes Reef, Gulf of Mexico.
This collection, one of the most important in the museum, showcases objects made of gold, emeralds, and other precious stones, along with silver macuquinas coins recovered from the exploration of the Ancla Macuca shipwreck in the Alacranes Reef, Gulf of Mexico. The collection consists of 211 pieces, including gold, emeralds, amethyst, a ruby, and red coral. These items are considered part of the cargo of a goldsmith who worked during the journey, crafting jewelry and carrying tools and gold sheets as raw material.
These pieces were meant for the everyday life of a European social class and include rings, charms, cufflinks, buttons, toothpicks, chains, and liturgical items such as mantle applications, medals, rosaries (gold and red coral), relics, and crosses. The museum also displays key items related to the ship, including the lead coating of the hull, nails, and bronze bolts, as well as navigation instruments like an anchor and lead line, and weapons, including a musket, fusils, and light armament, alongside war provisions used aboard the ships. Additionally, various items such as ballast, jars, barrel hoops, and spouts from shipwrecks on the Alacranes Reef showcase the cargo storage system aboard these vessels.
Technological Development at Sea
This room covers the technological changes that occurred with the advent of the Industrial Revolution.
This room covers the technological changes that occurred with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Among the technological shifts that took place in the industrial age (late 18th century to early 19th century), the substitution of wood with iron in shipbuilding and the shift from sail to steam power are particularly significant. These changes increased the tonnage of ships and their cruising speed, facilitating more efficient and continuous exchange.
Steam-powered ships revolutionized sea travel, as for the first time, humans no longer depended on wind and human labor to travel on water. Despite this, sail and steam technology coexisted for many years, depending on the needs of the natural context.
The identification of ships from this era is easier due to the technological elements they carry, such as their tonnage, steam engines, boilers, and anchors. In the 19th century, two shipwrecks, the British steamships R.M.S. Tweed (1847) and its twin, R.M.S. Forth (1849), would bring international attention to the Alacranes Reef due to the significant human and economic losses caused by these accidents. In a report presented to Mexico's Ministry of Public Works in 1854, Campeche's Minister Justo Sierra O'Reilly documented the ongoing problems caused by these reefs, noting that "not a single year passes without one, two, or even three shipwrecks on the Alacranes Reef."
Adarve and Merlons
A large rooftop where cannons and troops circulated. Merlons are the wide, reinforced battlements between which cannons were placed.
Winding Path and Glacis
The glacis are artificial slopes leading up to the fort's first walls, designed to expose potential attackers and allow for fire against them. The winding path serves the same purpose but leads to the fort’s entrances.
Moat and Gunports
A deep excavation surrounding a fort or military castle, serving as the first line of defense. The inner side of the moat is called the escarpa, while the side facing the enemy is called the counter escarpa.
Garitón
Small overhanging towers with gunports at the corners of the fort's walls, allowing firing in several directions.
Courtyard and Well Cover
The museum features a square courtyard with a well cover at its center, which continues to collect rainwater.
- Dirección de Museos del Centro INAHJonathan Miguel García Gonzálezmiguel_garciaglz@inah.gob.mx
