Archaeological research of El Ángel and 40 Cañones sites, two ships lost in Banco Chinchorro, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Abstract

This chapter presents the study of El Ángel and the 40 Cañones, two shipwrecks located in the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve on the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The findings are placed in the context of a survey of the overall area that includes the remains of sailing ships, steamers, and cargo ships from more than seventy distinct archaeological contexts. The research developed at the Banco Chinchorro archaeological sites over the last 15 years not only provided a view of navigation in this area of the Caribbean from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries but also offered an insight into the technological development in shipbuilding over time.