AH-WR-1380

Nuestra Señora de los Milagros

Merchant Sailing Vessel · Spain · Lost 1741 · The Mexican Gulf Coast & Campeche

Known as El Matancero, this Spanish merchant ship wrecked off Akumal in 1741 carrying mercury, becoming a landmark of Mexican underwater archaeology.

Captain of Record

Anthony F. Cirillo

AHR-1880

See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Nuestra Señora de los Milagros, known popularly as El Matancero, wrecked on the reef off Akumal in January 1741 while sailing from Cádiz toward Veracruz. Its cargo included flasks of mercury used in New World silver refining. The site became one of Mexico's earliest scientifically studied shipwrecks, excavated from the 1970s onward.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: January 22, 1741
Cause: Grounding
Location: Off Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Water: Caribbean Sea
Voyage: Cádiz, Spain → Veracruz, New Spain
Cargo: Mercury flasks and merchandise
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 15-30
Condition: Partially buried, scattered artifacts and mercury flasks
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1970s
Protection: Protected archaeological zone under INAH

Position

Coordinates: 20.40° N 87.31° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Region: The Mexican Gulf Coast & Campeche

Approximate position off Akumal reef.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)

Precise dimensions and crew details are not established in the sources reviewed.

Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH)
Loss date, cargo, archaeological excavation history.