The Colombian government says it will try to raise objects from the 1708 shipwreck of the galleon San Jose, which is believed to contain a cargo worth billions of dollars
I mean. It’s not doing anyone any good just sitting there rotting away. If I had the chance to recover it, I’m not sure I’d really be swayed by its archaeological significance. It’s 300 years old. Not 3,000. Idk. Am I an asshole?
This is heresay and supposition but... I suspect the Columbian government is trying to figure out how to secure the value represented by the find, and the archaeological angle is one way to do that.
I don't know anything about Columbia but I assume there's some corrupt government officials there somewhere. Billions might not be a lot when talking about a country's budget, but this isn't part of their budget. Any gold that makes its way into someone's pocket is fair game.
Again supposition but... I wonder whether Spain would have any claim on it if it wasn't considered archaeologically significant.
But the ship is believed to hold 11 million gold and silver coins, emeralds and other precious cargo from Spanish-controlled colonies, which could be worth billions of dollars if ever recovered.
The article says billions of dollars, so I guess it's compared to American dollars (USD). Whether or not it's truly worth billions of said dollars is a different matter