“It tells us a great deal about Cascais’s maritime history and identity,” Freire said. “It’s like we’ve been telling the local people here: this is a great discovery, and its greatness lies in what it, and the artifacts, can tell us about the cultural landscape.”
The shipwreck was the first find of its kind since the wreck of the Portuguese ship Nossa Senhora dos Mártires, also known as Our Lady of the Martyrs, was discovered in 1994.
It also sailed the spice route and sank off the coast of Lisbon in 1606. The vessel was found near a military defense complex by Cascais called Fort of Sao Juliao de Barra.
“For a long time, specialists have considered the mouth of the Tagus River a hotspot for shipwrecks,” said Luis Mendes, the Minister of Culture. “This discovery came to prove it.”
The research team that explored the coastal area noted that the discovery of the 400-year-old wreck was in significantly better shape than the Our Lady of the Martyrs wreck. So, it will likely provide more accurate information about that particular era of trade in Portugal.
