War Graves, Empire, and Gold: The Legal Afterlife of the San José Galleon

PRES 6520 | Environmental Law: Historic Preservation
Professor Lloyd Shields

This project analyzed the ongoing international legal dispute over the San José galleon, a Spanish warship sunk off the coast of Cartagena in 1708. Drawing from environmental, maritime, and preservation law, I examined competing claims from Colombia, Spain, Sea Search Armada (a U.S.-based salvage firm), and the Qhara Qhara Indigenous community of Bolivia. My analysis highlighted the limitations of existing international frameworks—such as UNCLOS and the 2001 UNESCO Convention—in resolving conflicts over submerged heritage, especially when sovereign immunity, commercial salvage rights, and Indigenous restitution overlap. The paper also addressed environmental and ethical concerns associated with deep-sea salvage and war grave protection, proposing collaborative stewardship as an alternative to single-party ownership. This project bridged U.S. preservation case law with evolving global standards for managing underwater cultural resources, emphasizing the need for inclusive and non-exploitative governance models.

Catherine Restrepo

Meet Catherine, the former architect who traded blueprints for scuba suits and found a love for exploring ocean depths. Armed with a Nitrox specialty certification she tinkers mad-scientist style to concoct safer gas mixtures for sassier dives below. Currently honing her preservation skills by the river, this captain-in-training dreams of becoming a marine archaeologist out on the high seas. Drawn to water ever since she can remember, Catherine is perfectly proof that you can ditch a landlubber career to survey underwater artifacts and still keep your head above water. Whether cheerfully cursing floods in New Orleans or mapping lost treasures, this future underwater adventurist shows you can be anything your heart and diving compass point to next. The depths are calling and this seafaring conservator intends to dive right in!

New Orleans, LA, USAinfo@madameguignol.com
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