International

Investigation of the San José galleon, the great scientific challenge that Colombia embarks on

Colombia embarked on one of the greatest scientific challenges in its history: the investigation of the Spanish galleon San José, sunk by English privateers off the coast of Cartagena de Indias in the 18th century and found in 2015 at a depth of more than 600 meters.

The authorities began this work with great enthusiasm, for which different institutions were articulated such as the Ministry of Cultures, the Navy and the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (Icanh).

“Associated with archaeology, culture and heritage, it is the first time we have made such a great effort and in this Government, particularly, to believe in the institutions and in the ability we have to do something to show the world. It is a special challenge,” the head of Maritime and River Interests of the Colombian Navy, Rear Admiral Hermann León, told EFE.

That institution put at the service of this purpose the ship ARC Caribe and all its technological capacity to “be able to go down to 600 meters deep” to observe the wreck, a task to which only Colombian specialists will dedicate themselves.

For the investigation, which will be of six phases, the Government of Colombia has also already made a decision that will make its work easier: to declare as ‘Protected Archaeological Area of the Nation’ the area where the galleon is, whose coordinates are secret to prevent treasure hunters from reaching there that can steal what was in the San José.

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“This is the first protected archaeological area of Colombia in the underwater space, it is the first in America at this depth. Colombia is doing a research project as it has not been seen before under the universal principles of heritage protection and they must be assured that this is a scientific project to bring the best of that knowledge to Colombians,” the Rear Admiral added.

The San José, built in 1698 in Guipúzcoa (Spain) and belonging to the Spanish Navy, was sunk on June 8, 1708 during an attack by a fleet of English privateers when it was on its way to Cartagena de Indias loaded, according to chronicles of the time, with about 11 million coins of eight shields in gold and silver that it had collected at the Portobelo fair (Panama).

Spain, based on the rules of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), claims the ownership of the galleon for being “a state ship,” with its flag.

The Colombian Government, which declared the San José “asset of submerged cultural interest,” does not rule out collaboration with that country to treat the wrech as a shared heritage.

The director of the Icanh, Alhena Caicedo, explained to EFE that the investigation of the galleon is the result of “an intention to transform what the history of Colombia implies, to transform the assessment of the archaeological heritage and to give the San José galleon a sense of national identity.”

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“The idea is to remove that somewhat mythological nuance that has made it a rather controversial treasure, in which people are trying to see if there is gold, if there is silver, if there are precious metals and not if there is an archaeological text that can give us very interesting answers about what the history of Colombia and the Caribbean has been,” Caicedo said.

For that reason, the focus is on protecting the archaeological heritage, on “guaranteeing a cultural value” for Colombia in order to show a more local than European story.

For that purpose, the director of Icanh explained, the research takes into account the voices of different actors, ranging from indigenous people who claim their rights over the spit to academics who are experts in heritage issues.

“We want to guarantee through this high-level scientific research that there are multiple voices, multiple ways of thinking about history and memory, multiple stories, if you want, that allow us to complicate the readings that we sometimes have about the past in order to have a much more interesting future reference,” he added.

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International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

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According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

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Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.