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Caribbean Underwater
Cultural Heritage:
Past, Present & Future
3rd Caribbean Conference
National Trusts and Preservation Societies
Willemstad, Curacao (15-20 November 2017)
Margaret Leshikar-Denton, PhD
What is Underwater Archaeology?
Archaeology is a branch of anthropology,
defined as the study of past peoples and
cultures through the objects they left behind
Underwater Archaeology
is simply archaeology performed in a
submerged environment – the goals of
research into the human past are the same and
methods of excavation and interpretation are
the same, only the tools are different
Specialized Tools and Approaches
enable scientists to work from the interface of
land and water to the deepest oceans
Underwater archaeologists work in often
challenging environments, including the ocean,
seas, bays, lakes, rivers, springs, marshes, and
cenotes, and their adjacent landscapes
A Range of Maritime Heritage Sites
Ships, Boats, Canoes, Local watercraft, Aircraft
Survivor’s campsites, Fishing-related areas
Navigational aids, Anchorages, Careening places
Ports, Harbors, Coastal settlements, Towns, Wharves
Shipbuilding sites, Coastal forts and defenses
Lighthouses, Bridges, Catastrophic sites
Eroded sites, Inundated terrestrial sites
And Places where cultural material was lost or
purposely deposited into the water
Lure of Treasure & Heritage Value
Sites often viewed for monetary value
Obstacle to preservation is lure of sunken treasure
Governments can be swayed by salvors into non-
beneficial schemes with promises of great profit
Profits seldom achieved, UCH lost forever
However, vulnerability to exploitation is diminishing
Lure of Treasure &
Heritage Value
Countries are implementing heritage programs
Museum exhibitions and preservation of sites in situ
provide countries with long-term profit
Historic preservation enhances a country’s tourism
product, provides enjoyment and education for the
public, and thereby appreciation and protection for the
heritage sites
LA & Caribbean
Regional Response
Latin American and Caribbean
Group (GRULAC) met in Santo
Domingo in 1998 & 1999
Support 1996 ICOMOS Charter
Wrote the Santo Domingo
Declaration
International
Response
Four meetings of Governmental
Experts in Paris in 1998, 1999,
2000 and 2001
Negotiated and adopted a draft Convention,
based on draft text by the International Law
Association (1994) and the ICOMOS Charter
developed by ICUCH (1996)
The 2001 UNESCO
Convention
Went into force on 2 January 2009 with the
instrument’s 20th ratification (Barbados)
There have now been 6 Sessions of the Meetings of
States Parties (two in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
And 8 Meetings of the Scientific and Technical
Advisory Committee (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014,
2015, 2016, 2017)
19 Latin American and Caribbean
Countries have ratified (of 58 SP)
Panama (20/05/03)
Mexico (05/07/06)
Paraguay (07/09/06)
Ecuador (01/12/06)
St. Lucia (01/02/07)
Cuba (26/05/08)
Barbados (02/10/08)
Grenada (15/01/09)
Haiti (09/11/09)
Saint Kitts & Nevis (03/12/09)
Argentina (19/07/10)
Honduras (23/07/10)
Trinidad & Tobago (27/07/10)
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines (08/11/10)
Jamaica (09/08/2011)
Antigua & Barbuda (25/04/2013)
Guyana (28/04/2014)
Guatemala (03/11/2015)
Bolivia (24/02/2017)
Principal Themes
Heritage Legislation
Heritage Management
Heritage Research
Meaning to Descendent
Communities
The Future
Help can come from beyond the
region, but sustainability must
come from within it
Government will
Cooperation
Training
Capacity building
Some Neighbors
with related History
Bermuda
Mexico
Panama
Florida
The Bahamas
Bahamas Abandoned Wrecks
Act (1965)
500 year-old Lucayan Canoe
(Bahamas Government & SC)
16th Century Highborn Cay
Wreck (INA)
16th Century St. John’s
Bahamas Wreck (salvors)
1656 Maravillas (salvors)
Turks & Caicos
Islands
Turks & Caicos Islands Historic
Wrecks Ordinance (1974)
1520s Molasses Reef Wreck
Slave Ship Trouvadore (1841)
(Troubador)
US Navy Brig Chippewa (1816)
Lucayan Paddle (AD 1100)
Cuba
Ratified the 2001 UNESCO Convention in 2008
Laws No. 1 and No. 2 of 4 August 1977: Law for the
Protection of Cultural Heritage and Law of National
and Local Monuments
Specialized agencies and museums
“Cayo Ines de Soto site” (1555-56)
Many other UCH sites
Haiti
200 + shipwrecks in Haitian waters
Ratified the 2001 UNESCO Convention in 2009
1995 Presidential Decree created the National Office of
Marine Archaeology (OFNAM) – is still not operational
Cooperation with French Nautical Archaeological
Research Group (GRAN)
Active in the UNESCO slave routes project
2014 UNESCO STAB mission recommends: investigate,
implement 2001 Convention, elaborate a national plan for
UCH, undertake capacity building, augment security &
surveillance of UCH, cooperate with all States Parties
Cayman Islands
Abandoned Wreck Law of 1966 (1997 Revision)
INA (1979-80) inventory of 77 sites, including
Turtle Bone Wreck and Duck Pond Careenage
Wreck of the Ten Sail: HMS Convert and 9 merchant convoy lost
in 1794 (1990s) - archaeology, exhibit, publication, etc.
Inventory of 140 UCH sites, including HMS Jamaica (1715) and
San Miguel (1730), and other terrestrial sites
No prehistoric sites discovered
Land-based Maritime Heritage Trail (2003)
Groundwork for Shipwreck Preserves
Advocating for sustainable CIMAP maritime archaeology program
Jamaica
Ratified the 2001 UNESCO Convention in 2011
Institute of Jamaica (1879), Jamaica National Trust Commission
Act (1958), Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act (1985)
1692 Port Royal: Edwin Link & NGS (1950s), Marx (1960s),
Philip Mayes (1969), Texas A&M University & INA with JNHT
(1981–1990) - Dorrick Gray trained with TAMU & INA
Search for Columbus' caravels Capitana and Santiago de Palos
Six 18th-century merchantmen (1990s INA/JNHT)
Pedro Banks surveys for important early shipwreck sites
1983 building of a traditional Jamaican dug-out canoe
Terrestrial projects on colonial sites, sites of enslaved populations,
and at prehistoric Taino sites, many with maritime orientations
The Dominican
Republic
1979 Commission of Underwater Archaeological Rescue
Nuestra Señora de la Pura y Limpia Concepción (1641), Nuestra Señora
de Guadalupe and Conde de Tolosa (1724), the French warship Scipión
(1782), and the French ships Diómedes and Imperial (1806)
Museo de las Reales Atarazanas, Museo de Arqueología Submarina del
Faro a Colón, Museo de las Casas Reales
Headed 1998 and 1999 GRULAC meetings
400 shipwrecks in the waters of Hispaniola
Scientific projects: INA search for Santa María, Mariagalante, Gallega,
San Juan, and Cardera; IU&PATaino artifacts at Manantial de la Aleta;
PIMA “Monte Christi Shipwreck” (1652-1656)
Decree of 26 June 1999, created National Office for the Protection of the
Underwater Cultural Heritage, but today renewed threats to UCH
Puerto Rico
Underwater Archaeology Office, Council for the Conservation
and Study of Sites and Underwater Archaeological Resources
compiled inventory of 200 shipwrecks
Alicante (1881), Antonio López (1898), 17th-century “Rincón
Astrolabe Wreck”, 18th-century English warship,verified sites at
Mona Island, shipyard of 17th to 19th centuries, PT boat, two
aircraft: B-29 & PBY Catalina flying boat, Manuela, Cristobal
Colon
Puerto Rican Instituto de Investigaciones Costaneras (IIC), the
Centre for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation (CMAC) at
TAMU, and INA collaborating on surveys: have located
important sites in an area where pre-Columbian settlements
existed and at least 66 ships have wrecked
The British
Virgin Islands
At last report, little attention had been
directed towards UCH, but there was hope
for change
National Park Trust Act Policy includes a
section on UCH
Anguilla
Historic Wrecks Advisory Committee in mid-1990s
1772 El Buen Consejo and Jesús, María y José
ICUCH and the ACUA advised, East Carolina
University surveyed, mapped, provided site analysis
University of Southampton identified 7 historic wrecks
Anguilla Archaeological and Historical Society
promoting maritime heritage
Land-based Heritage Trail was created
Antigua & Barbuda
Ratified the 2001 Convention in 2013
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Ratified the 2001 Convention in 2009
Emphasis has been on land sites
At least 200 wrecks in the Basseterre Bay area that
should be protected and managed
National Conservation and Environmental
Management Act (1987) and the Merchant Shipping
Act (2002) afford some protection for UCH
18th-century British warship wreck in Nevis
Martinique,
Guadeloupe & Saint
Martin
Departments of France, operating under French laws
France ratified the 2001 Convention in 2013
GRAN (1991-1997) inventory in Martinique
Website presents the work that was accomplished
List of 90 ship losses between 17th and 20th Centuries
73 archaeological sites, 19 identified by the ship’s
name (Notre Dame De Bonne-Espérance 1687; HMS
Raisonable 1762; Le Cygne 1808)
The Dutch Islands
1992 Treaty of Malta extends to St. Maarten, St.
Eustatius, Saba, Curaçao, and Bonaire
Historical anchorage at Orange Bay, Saint Eustatius
HMS Proselyte wrecked in 1801
Historical anchorage and Dutch warship Sirene in
(1831) Bonaire
Dutch frigate Alphen (1778) in Curaçao
SS Mediator (1884) in Curaçao
Dominica
Focus has been on terrestrial heritage rather
than UCH
Hurricane Dean uncovered a shipwreck, and
there is interest in finding ways to protect and
manage this and other sites
Harbor survey of Roseau, Dominica
Saint Lucia
First Caribbean country to ratify the 2001
Convention in 2007
Hosted regional UNESCO meetings in 2003
and 2008
Saint Lucia & the Saint Lucia Archaeological
and Historical Society are leaders in advocating
for ethical protection and management of UCH
Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines
Ratified the 2001 UNESCO Convention in
2010
Many wrecks are located in the islands’ waters
Several major pieces of legislation that attempt
to protect local heritage
1997-1998 project on an 18th century wreck in
Kingstown Harbor
Barbados
Barbados ratified the 2001 Convention in 2008
2006 Preservation of Antiquities and Relics Bill
includes UCH
1998 Coastal Zone Management Act provides some
protection for shipwrecks
Barbados Museum and Historical Society is the
principal contact for issues related to heritage matters
Over 200 documented wrecks are located in the
waters of Barbados
Grenada
Grenada ratified the 2001 Convention in 2009
At least 174 wrecks may be located in
Grenada’s waters
A historical shipwreck site was reported to the
Grenada Government in 2009
Grenada has a plan in cooperating with France
to develop protected areas
Trinidad &Tobago
Ratified the 2001 Convention in 2010
French Louis XIV–period shipwrecks lost in a 1677
battle with the Dutch were discovered in Tobago
1994 UK-based Protection of Wrecks Act
1997 Technical Advisory Committee appointed
Plans to compile an inventory, review the 1994
legislation, and develop guidelines for permitting
19 LAC Countries (of 33) have
ratified – All others should now ratify t
Panama (20/05/03)
Mexico (05/07/06)
Paraguay (07/09/06)
Ecuador (01/12/06)
St. Lucia (01/02/07)
Cuba (26/05/08)
Barbados (02/10/08)
Grenada (15/01/09)
Haiti (09/11/09)
Saint Kitts & Nevis (03/12/09)
Argentina (19/07/10)
Honduras (23/07/10)
Trinidad & Tobago (27/07/10)
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines (08/11/10)
Jamaica (09/08/2011)
Antigua & Barbuda (25/04/2013)
Guyana (28/04/2014)
Guatemala (03/11/2015)
Bolivia (24/02/2017)
A Course
for the Future
Our Tool Kit: The 2001 UNESCO
Convention and the 1996 ICOMOS
Charter
Specific national legislation should be
developed in tandem with these documents
Commercial exploitation of UCH should
be avoided
A Plan for the Future
Identify & train key persons
Place them in competent authorities to guide in identification,
protection, management, research, conservation, and
interpretation of UCH
Create sustainable regional and local programs and networks
Invite cooperation from overseas institutions and individuals
Preserve sites in situ as a first option, but empower museums to
interpret results of specialized archaeological excavation and
research on significant sites
Develop site inventories to make informed decisions about how
to protect and manage sites
Be aware that UCH treated in a sustainable way can provide
benefits to education, culture, and tourism
Unique
Responsibilities
Undertake archaeological excavation selectively, with
scientific objectives, adequate funding, professional
staff, and provisions for documentation, conservation,
curation, reporting, and public interpretation
Multidisciplinary and multi-institutional
collaborations should be encouraged
Regional and international cooperation
benefit everyone
Communication among governments, professionals,
and the public is essential
To Succeed
we must be
Creative,
Persevere, and
most of all,
Cooperate
Thank you!