The paddle wheel steamboat, known as “La Uniનn”, was found by archaeologists in 2017 in the Gulf of Mexico, two nautical miles from Sixtel. But, it took three years of research to confirm that it was a Mayan slave ship.
La Uni was illegally occupied and about 25 to 30 Maya were taken to Cuba every month, where they were forced to work in the sugarcane fields between 1855 and 1861. This was during an uprising known as the Caste War, according to the INH.
The ship sank on September 19, 1861, on its way to Cuba, proving that slavery was still going on in Mexico despite its abolition in 1829, and that the same year the Mayan forcible ban was lifted.
“For researchers … the findings are very relevant,” INAHA said in a statement. “In addition to the difficulty of recognizing the wreck by name, it also speaks to the impure past for Mexico that should be accepted and studied in terms of its context and timing.”
Archaeologists confirmed the identity of the ship from its boilers, which exploded and the boat caught fire, as well as a wooden-held side wheeler that was preserved. They also found artifacts, including bottles, pieces of glass from ceramics, and eight brass cutlery used by first-class passengers on board.
The crash killed half of the 80 crew members and 60 passengers in the morning. It is not clear how many Mayan slaves were among the dead, as they were listed not as passengers but as cargo and merchants.
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