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malaise

(269,157 posts) Mon Sep 21, 2020, 08:38 AM Sep 2020

Mexican archaeologists identify the first Mayan slave ship to have ever been discovered

Last edited Mon Sep 21, 2020, 09:51 AM - Edit history (1)

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/19/americas/mexico-mayan-slave-ship-trnd/index.html
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Archaeologists in Mexico have confirmed that a shipwreck discovered off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula once carried captured Mayans who were sold into slavery.

It is the first Mayan slave ship ever discovered, according to Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which made the announcement on Tuesday.
The paddle wheel steamboat, known as "La Unión," was discovered by archaeologists in the Gulf of Mexico two nautical miles from Sisal in 2017. But it took three years of research to confirm that it was a Mayan slave ship.

La Unión illegally captured and transported about 25 to 30 Mayans monthly to Cuba, where they were forced to work in sugarcane fields between 1855 and 1861. This was during the rebellion known as the Caste War, according to INAH.

Archaeologists confirmed the identity of the ship from its boilers, which exploded and caused the boat to catch fire, as well as the wooden hulled side wheeler which had been preserved. They also found artifacts, including fragments of glass from bottles, ceramics, and eight brass cutlery used by first-class passengers on board.
The accident killed half of the 80 crew members and 60 passengers on board. It is unclear how many of the dead included Mayan slaves, as they were listed as cargo and merchandise, not passengers.
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Man to man is so unjust
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