A silver coin of eight buried beneath the foundations of a colonial church has helped archaeologists identify the exact spot where Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe was founded in 1584. The coin was unearthed during excavations near Chile’s Strait of Magellan, where Spain once tried to establish a permanent outpost to control one of the world’s most important sea routes.
Within just a few years, the colony had collapsed, with most of its settlers dying from hunger, disease and the harsh conditions. The site later became known as Puerto del Hambre, or Port Famine. Until now, much of what was known about the settlement came from written accounts. The newly discovered coin gives archaeologists something they rarely get: physical proof that matches those records almost exactly.
A Small Coin With A Big Historical Role
The coin is a real de a ocho, or piece of eight, bearing the insignia of Philip II of Spain. It was found resting on one of the church’s foundation stones during excavations carried out in March by a team led by historian Soledad González Díazof Bernardo O’Higgins University, working with Chile’s National Research and Development Agency.
According to Live Science, the find matches historical descriptions of the religious ceremony held when Spanish navigator Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa officially founded Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe in 1584.
“This discovery provides a rare and powerful point of convergence between written sources and archaeological evidence,” said González Díaz. “It not only helps to confirm the location and layout of key structures within the settlement but also opens new possibilities for reconstructing [its] spatial organization.”
A Colony That Never Stood A Chance
Spain founded the settlement after learning that English explorer Francis Drake had sailed through the Strait of Magellan, the narrow passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the Spanish Crown wanted to fortify the route and keep rival ships away.
The plan quickly ran into trouble. Around two dozen ships were sent toward the strait, but only a handful completed the journey. Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa pressed on with the remaining settlers, yet southern Chile proved far harsher than expected.
Food became scarce, disease spread and the weather took its toll. A few years later, English navigator Thomas Cavendish reached the settlement and found only a handful of survivors. The place would forever be remembered as Port Famine.
A New Way to Discover Ancient Sites
Rather than digging across the entire site, the research team first relied on noninvasive tools to narrow their search. As explained in Heritage Daily, metal detectors and geolocation equipment were used to locate promising targets beneath the ground before any excavation began.
“We detected a strong signal, but we didn’t know what it was until we carried out targeted excavations,” archaeologist Francisco Garrido said.
Finding the church does more than identify a single building. Garrido explained that once its location is confirmed, it becomes much easier to determine where the colony’s other structures once stood and how the settlement was originally laid out.
