Othón P. Blanco, Q. R. — Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology (INAH) located traces of an English boat dated more than 200 years old. The remains of the vessel were discovered in the waters of Quintana Roo, the institute reported Tuesday.
INAH expert personnel say the remains, which include an anchor, a cannon and pig iron ingots used as ballast, are believed to correspond to an English sailing ship from the late 18th or early 19th centuries.
The underwater archaeologists of the Sub-Directorate of Underwater Archeology of the INAH involved in the finding, deduce that the crew of that boat made efforts to avoid sinking, since an anchor was found that was thrown into the sea with the intention of attaching itself to the reef barrier, where today, it continues to run aground.
Laura Carrillo, SAS researcher and head of the Banco Chinchorro Project, explained that it is complex to know the dimensions of the sailboat and other details because it is located in an area with strong currents and there is nothing left of the wooden hull.
Only the very solid elements found attached to the coral reef were kept in relatively good condition.
So far, a general inspection with two diving sessions has been carried out in past months to locate the remains and make a first evaluation, however, it will not be until the health contingency allows that the investigation can be resumed.
The Manuel Polanco wreck, named in honor of the fisherman who located it and informed the INAH, is number 70 registered in the more than 144,000 underwater hectares of the Reserva de la Biosfera Banco Chinchorro in the southern part of Quintana Roo.
