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| The ruins of Fort San Lorenzo, the Rio Chagres, and, 200 meters offshore, Lajes Reef (Captain Morgan Rum Co.) |
When most people think
of Captain Morgan, they think of cheap rum. However, Archaeology magazine
published a fascinating article by Samir Patel, “Pirates of the Original Panama
Canal,” about a major underwater archaeology site off of Panama’s Pacific
Coast, that reinforces Henry Morgan’s reputation as one of the greatest
privateers and naval strategists of his time, while showing that, even at its
most single-minded, good archaeology can illuminate whole eras.
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| Rum Mascot Captain Morgan (wikipedia) |
The site in question is Fort San Lorenzo at the mouth of
the Rio Chagres, the head of the old overland route across the isthmus that
brought precious metals and the wealth of the Pacific to Spain – as Patel says
it was once “the world’s most valuable river.” Morgan began his pillaging of Porto Bello, at the time the third-most important city in the New World, here, as he destroyed the fort before sailing north and looting and burning the city. Unfortunately rough waves and
treacherous geography lost him five ships that foundered off Lajas Reef, 200
meters offshore.
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| Actual privateer Captain Morgan (wikipedia) |
The battle is well documented, but Texas State University
archaeologist Fritz Hanselmann is still looking for the remains of the ships,
especially Morgan’s flagship Satisfaction
- and his work has the financial
backing of the Captain Morgan Rum Company.
There has been some success – eight cannons, six of which were raised. If
verified, they would be the only surviving material evidence of Morgan’s raid.
This is difficult however, as small cannons such as these were extremely
heterogenous, even on the same vessel, and were often bought and sold between
ships.
So it raises the question, at least initially, of what
the point of the excavation is – certainly no one is denying that the battle of
San Lorenzo occurred, and Henry Morgan is one of the most thoroughly documented
pirates in history. Since his privateering was sanctioned by the British
government it was perfectly legal, and he died wealthy and happy on a 400,000
acre sugar plantation in Jamaica. He had no reason to hide anything.
The answer is around the edges of the histories. As
Hanselmann notes, “If significant portions of ships are found, spatial analysis
of their layouts or modifications might reveal some of these social dynamics,
such as whether Morgan had his own cabin or shared quarters with his men, as
some pirate captains had. The design of the ship itself could reflect its
culture.” Similarly, discoveries of other wrecks around Lajas Reef, such as a
merchant vessel already found, can tell us much about the nature of Panamanian
trade and shipboard and colonial culture at the time. By conducting this sort
of investigation under the easy to explain (and easy to obtain funding for)
guise of “sexy” archaeology like finding Captain Morgan’s flagship, the
archaeological world can benefit in all kinds of ways.
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| The ruins of Porto Bello today (wikipedia) |
Link to original
article: http://www.archaeology.org/issues/79-1303/features/543-pirates-henry-morgan-panama-city-raid
Businessweek Article on Captain Morgan Rum's branding and archaeological funding: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-05/captain-morgan-s-search-for-the-real-morgans-brand-treasure
