31 Dec 2008

Builders unearth galleon in Argentina

3:10 pm on 31 December 2008

Builders in Buenos Aires have found the wreck of an 18th-century Spanish galleon while digging the foundations for a riverside high-rise building.

An archeologist said on Tuesday that several cannons have been discovered, as well as earthenware jars that were probably used to store olive oil.

The remains of the galleon were found on a building site in the Puerto Madero district close to the shores of the River Plate.

City archeologist Marcelo Waissel thinks the boat was probably shipwrecked in the 1700s, or possibly late 1600s.

Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri said city officials would ensure that the discovery was preserved even though construction of the building would continue.