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Shipwrecks off Mexico reveal dark secrets
A shipwreck found on the seafloor off Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula has been found to be a ship used to transport slaves for indigenous people. The discovery is unique, as no such ship had been found before.
The slave ship La Unión sank off the town of Sisal on the Yucatan Peninsula in 1861, the wreck was discovered in 2017. File photo.
The remains of the ship, a steamer called La Unión, were found as early as 2017, but it is only now that Mexican archaeologists can confirm what it was used for: transporting enslaved people to Cuba.
Between 1855 and 1861, the ship transported the kidnapped Maya from Mexico to Cuba, where they were forced to work on sugar cane plantations.
According to the Mexican Anthropological Institute INAH, the slave ship is a unique find in the world, as it had not been found before. The finding further shows that the sale of slaves continued even after the forced movement of people from the Mayan people was declared illegal in Mexico in 1829.
“For researchers, the discovery is very relevant. It witnesses a dark chapter in the history of Mexico that must be recognized and studied further to teach us more about outreach, ”INAH continued in the statement.
