Page 212 - Vol_2_Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaport Trade

10 Searching for the San Francisco (1609), a Manila Galleon … 183

negotiated, including the possible establishment of a supply seaport for the return
galleon traders.
Scienti!c investigation of the San Francisco has not been attempted until
recently. The underwater archaeological survey started with the aim of answering a
query as to why no physical material from the shipwreck survives. This chapter
presents a new survey approach to develop a hypothesis on the location of the
wreckage offshore. From an archaeological viewpoint, the evaluation of the
potentially hazardous reef was conducted by using marine geophysics survey
equipment and by implementing a diving search in deep water. The survey has
successfully revealed the complex topography of the seabed and its valleys, and led
to the understanding of site formation processes of the wreck site of the San
Francisco. Further archaeological survey is worth conducting with a focus on the
detection of other artifacts, including the ferrous and other metal objects from
the shipwreck. The archaeological outcomes will contribute to understanding of the
port history of the Philippines and Mexico and will be the important part of the
study of the extensive trading network between Asian and Latin American regions.

Acknowledgements The project is funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
I would like to recognize the support provided by Windy Network in recording the seabed
topography. I wish to thank Bob Sheppard, Ian McCann, and Sheldon Clyde for their contribution
to the underwater archaeological search.

References

Fish, S. (2011). The Manila-Acapulco Galleons: The treasure ships of the Paci!c with an
annotated list of the Transpaci!c Galleons, 1565–1815. Central Milton Keynes: Authoro
House.
Fushimi, T. (2019). Some considerations on the Spanish written sources about the shipwreck of the
Nao “San Francisco.” Archaeological study of the San Francisco and Manila Galleon, Tokai
University Press (in print).
Gil, J. (1991). Hidarogos Y Samurai: Espana Y Japon En Los Siglos XVI Y XVII. Madrid: Alianza
Editorial S. A. [in Spanish with Japanese translation].
Gil, J. (2015). Don Rodrigo de Vivero. Un criollo en Filipinas y Japón. en El Mar del Sur en la
historia. Ciencia, Expansio ́ n, representacio ́ n y poder en elpacif ́ ico (Vol 4, pp. 65–158).
Santiago de Chile: Centro de Investigaciones Diego Barros Arana/Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez.
Kimura, J., & Sasaki, R. (2006). A brief report about surveying the Manila Galleon San Franisco
Sunken off Onjuku, Chiba. Journal of Underwater Archaeological Studies, 2, 78–87.
Murakami, N. (1966). Don Roderigo Nihon kenbunroku Vizcaino Kingin Tanken Hokoku. Tokyo:
Sonansha. [In Japanese.].
Nogami, T. (2013). Gareon Boeki to Hizenjiki. Toyotoji (Oriental Ceramics) (Vol 42, pp. 141–176).
Robert, J. (2016). On a Manila Galleon of the 16th Century: A Nautical perspective. In Wu
Chunming (Ed.), Early navigation in the Asia-Paci!c region (pp. 103–113). Singapore:
Springer.
Schurz, W. L. (1939). The Manila Galleon. New York: E. P. Dutton.
Uchimany, E. A. (2016). Relación y avisos del reinode Japón y la Nueva Españain, Pasta blanda.