[MR] History Blog: Coin Find Pinpoints Early Spanish New World Colony

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today's History Blog reports on the discovery of a Spanish silver coin that
marks the location of a colony founded in the Strait of Magellan in the
late 16th century.

In 1584 the coin was ceremonially placed in the foundation of a church, the
first building in Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe (now in Chile). An account of
the dedication ceremony survives. The colony included a gun fort designed
to stop English privateers like Francis Drake from transiting the Strait.
Unfortunately, due to harsh weather, disease and failure of supply convoys,
the colony failed and nearly all the settlers and soldiers were dead in a
few years.

A companion colony in what is now Argentina, Ciudad del Nombre de Jesús,
also failed.

Now that the church has been located, planned archaeological work will
hopefully establish other structures at Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe.

The story is found at https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/75800 .

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep the original Merry Rose relevant and in
business.