Spanish Coins in Mozambican Waters: The Numismatic Collection of the São José (1622) - Paperback

by Alejandro Mirabal (Author)

The shipwreck codenamed MOG-003 was found in Infusse reef, Mogincual, in the Province of Nampula, Republic of Mozambique, in 2004 during a magnetometer survey of the area. It has been tentatively identified as the S o Jos , a Portuguese Indiaman vice-flagship (Almiranta) from the 1622 fleet en route from Lisbon to Goa, India, lost at this location on the 24th of July of 1622 during a battle against the Anglo-Dutch fleet. The archaeological excavation of this wreck provided a collection of artefacts from the late 16th and the early 17th centuries which allowed the study of the numismatic and artillery aspects of that time. The evidence confirms that the S o Jos was carrying Spanish reales minted in the Americas and Spain, belonging to the Portuguese crown.