Colombia

The Spanish Galeon San José was sunk transporting 20,000 million dollars. Mexico and Colombia are going to bring that treasure to light

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The history of San José Galeon It is very particular. The ship left the shipyards of Guipúzcoa in 1706 to the sea of ​​the Caribem, and there it was loaded to the flag with gold, gems and jewels from Peruvian, Bolivian and Mexican mines. It was a Awesome boat With 40 meters of length, 64 cannons and a crew of 600 people, but was sunk after an attack of British privateers in 1708, leaving only 10 survivors and that juicy treasure in the depths of the sea off the coast of Cartagena. It is one of the More than 1,500 Spanish Spanish ships Through the world and Mexico and Colombia are collaborating to ‘rescue’ those treasures that have been in the back of the ocean for more than 300 years. It has a value My dear of 20,000 million dollars and is the protagonist of an authentic soap opera. A soap opera. The history of San José did not end when the ship touched background. In fact, I may only start. In 1981, the Search Armed Exploration Company claimed to have located the Spanish wreck and delivered the coordinates Not Spain, but Colombia. The treatment? Supposedly, access to half of the treasure. However, in 2015, the Colombian government said they found the remains in a place different from that indicated above. That enraged the company Cazatesoros, who claimed that it was a strategy so that Colombia did not have to share the treasure. Neither short nor lazy, former president Juan Manuel Santos proudly said it was one of the most important treasures in Colombiaand everything pointed out that Search Armada would not see a cent. Meanwhile, Spain was not with crossed arms and appealed to his sovereignty about Galeon. Investigating. In 2024, with the wreck even in dispute, the Commission for the Investigation and Accusation of the House of Representatives of Colombia opened an investigation against former president Santos. The reason? “Intrusion and looting” of the Spanish Galeon. “It’s not a treasure”. The current Colombian government has another point of view and, in May last year, declared as the protected archaeological area the pungent area. The Minister of Cultures of Colombia, Juan David Correa, said that it was “the first time that an archaeological heritage area submerged at such depth is declared, it is historical for Latin America. We already have a special plan of underwater archaeological management.” Protection. The objective, then, is to guarantee the protection and conservation of the Galeon, as Alhena Caicedo, director of the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History, and said history, and The doors were not closed to treat the wreck as shared heritage. The objective now is to see what the ship was transporting and catalog it. It seems that it is not a treasure rescue mission, such as Correa itself: “It is not an extraction mission for economic value. What we want is to leave Colombia the possibility of a scientific-cultural mission that will have several stages and that starts today.” Mosaic rebuilt from photogrammetry files Mexico + Colombia. And that is where the National Institute of Anthropology and History -INAH- of Mexico comes into play. In an initiative called “Towards the heart of the San José Galeon”, Colombian and Mexican researchers are collaborating to be able to carry out this ‘recovery’ process. Mexico has a great experience when making archaeological expeditions (with recent examples such as the entire Mayan train networkthe application of New techniques to explore the interior of pyramids and the Underground stay mapping). A underwater expedition is different, but there they also have something to say. Colombian researchers asked INAH members about their experience in the project of Our Lady of Juncala ship that shipwrecked in 1613 in the Gulf of Mexico and with which there are parallels in the case of the San José expedition. In addition, between Colombia and Mexico there are archaeologists support programs that are formed in a cross way in both countries, as if it were an Erasmus of archeology. Digitize everything. Therefore, Mexico is advising Colombia, but it is these who, using submarine robots, are exploring San José and its surroundings in a program consisting of four phases: First phase (it began in May 2024): an underwater research ship comes into play with dynamic and acoustic positioning technologies, as well as a remote operating vehicle with sensors that has the mission of reaching the site. Second phase: generation of images of the site with which to prepare a record of the archaeological evidence for the classification of materials and their origin. THIRD PHASE: prediagnosis of conservation to establish starting points on the level of deterioration of the elements. Fourth phase: Digital documenting the archaeological context through photogrammetry techniques for informative purposes. It seems that Colombia’s plans are clear and, according to the details of the different phases, it does not seem that the goal is to get everything they find out of the water, but to catalog it so that we can see the state of the ship and its shipment 300 years later (in addition to the wealth it carried when it was sunk). Next steps. These last weeks, however, There have been important findings. The ICANH confirmed new “areas of interest” on the site, with Chinese porcelain, ingots, weapons and currencies that allow us to know more about the context of the sunken galleon. In addition, both INAH and the Ministry of Culture of Colombia have set October 2025 and the date on which they will detail the next steps of the mission. The idea is to profile that strategy of ‘towards the heart of the Galeon’ in order to exhibit tangible results before the end of the current presidential mandate in 2026. And, surely, it will be then when the controversy between Spain, Colombia, the indigenous community Qhara Qhara that demands Rights on the Treasury and the company that claims to have discovered the wreck to a new level. Images INAH, Wikipedia, ICANH In Xataka | Sunk ships … Read more

More cocaine is being manufactured and selling than ever around the world. The UN has a clear guilty: Colombia

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If we go outside and take one hundred adults, it is likely that six have consumed some drugs recently. This reflects The last report The UN about narcotics, which slides an even more interesting idea: although cocaine is not the most popular narcotic or consumed its global market is beating records and its production has grown almost 34% in just one year. It is an alarming fact and focuses the focus In a specific country: Colombia. A fact: 316 million. United Nations wanted to celebrate International Day for the Fight against Drugs (June 26) with A report that updates consumption data. And they are not exactly good. According to the figures that the agency manages, in 2023 about 316 million people were drugged. It is bad fact for its enormous volume, but also because of the trend it reflects. That figure represents 6% of the adult world population, between 15 and 65 years. Only a decade ago that same percentage was barely exceeded 5%. A business in record figures. UN data also help to understand what people are “places”. The most appealed drug is cannabis, with 244 million of users, followed by opioids (61 million), amphetamines (30.7) and already cocaine in fourth place, which in 2023 consumed 25 million people. Although it is not the majority or the most widespread, the report pays special attention to this last narcotic for how its market evolves. “Production, seizures and consumption reached new maximums in 2023, becoming the greatest market growth with the highest market growth,” They warn from the United Nations Office against drugs and crime (UNODC) before moving on to the figures: in 2023 his illegal production shot at 3,708 tonsalmost 34% more than the previous year. That trend is a reflection of demand. If in 2013 they consumed 17 million people, in 2023 they were already 25. To hunt new markets. The UNODC Slide Another key idea. It is not just that illegal production has fired more than 30% in one year or consumption grows 47% throughout the last decade. To these handicaps it is added that drug traffickers are looking for new markets in which to grow. “They are finding new markets in Asia and Africa. Violence and competition that characterize the illegal scope of cocaine, previously confined to Latin America, is expanding to Western Europe as organized crime groups of Western Balkans increase their influence on the market,” insists. That trend has come accompanied by more seizures. In just a five years (2019-2023) they have shot 68% to mark a record of 2,275. Colombia, in the focus. How does that increase in cocaine in circulation explain? Where is it being cultivated and why? One of the keys is given by UNODC in Another report Published last October and focuses on a very specific production focus: Colombia. The reason? Their data shows that in 2023 the cultivation of the coca bush increased there by 10%, to around 253,000 ha with a potential cocaine production of 2,664 metric tons. A problem that grows … and expands. “This represents a potential increase of 53% in the production of cocaine compared to 2022 and marks the tenth consecutive year, since 2013, in which estimates of potential cocaine production have increased in the country,” Point out The international organization, which warns of another interesting phenomenon: coca grows … and expands. Unlike what happened during the 2021 and 2022, when the increase in production was concentrated in Putomayo, in 2023 the crops were strengthened in the vast majority (16 of a total of 19) of the Coca producing departments. Moreover, only Cauca and Nariño brought together about half of the new surface with plantations if we compare them with those of 2022. With that backdrop, Precise Infobaethe nation concentrates 67% of the crop of coca leaf. “Production increased”. The UN connectsBoth phenomena, the greatest global production and that more surface to the crop is allocated in Colombia, and launches a notice to navigators: “updated data on performance (…) gave rise to a production estimate for the country approximately 50% higher than the previous year. It also increased the concentration of coca leaf production and the manufacture of cocaine in high -performance areas.” The data of the UNODC collected by The country They find in any case that Colombia is not the only nation where coca leaf is cultivated. Not even the only one in which these plantations have gained weight. Although in Colombia they grew 9% between 2022 and 2023, until they reached 253,000 ha, in Peru they also increased slightly to touch the 93,800. In Bolivia they remain at 31,000. More cocaines, more raids. To understand the global panorama of cocaine, specifically in Colombia, it is necessary to handle some extra data. Although the cultivated area grows by police ‘courses to drug trafficking. The Colombian newspaper Time remember that in 2024 the national authorities seized 883 tons and that so far this year there are already 403. The fight against drug trafficking has also become A fundamental issue in it political debate of the country, with different positions. Price earrings. The Coca market has also experienced another phenomenon that can be seen in the streets of Spain: a deep price fluctuation. Some sources They point That in a matter of a few years the kilo has gone from costing more than 30,000 euros to get off the 15,000, a puncture that coincides with several factors, such as Colombia Stop eradicating crops sprinkling them with glyphosate, which would have influenced production. The herbicide was abandoned in 2015 for its harmful effects, but the authorities They already propose to resume it. Images | US Department of Defense Current Photos (Flickr) and UNODC 1 and 2 In Xataka | The consumption of amphetamines in Spain is concentrated in an autonomous community. And we know it with a “single” trick

Wind energy were happy to promise their expansion in Colombia. Until he ran into indigenous communities

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La Guajira is one of the departments poorer from Colombia, home of Wayuu indigenous people and a land shaken by some of the strongest winds in the country (there is talk of gusts of 11 m/sa 100 meters high), which has turned the region into a key protagonist of the Government’s commitment to renewable energies. The problem is that these pieces are not easy to fit. As the wind turbines have been raising in La Guajira they have also done it The voices in local communities that warn of their impact and see the green revolution with distrust. There are those who already speak of “The Wind War”. “Only with the energy of La Guajira …” La Guajira, a Caribbean region located northwest of Colombia, It has sun And wind, which makes it a strategic piece for renewables in the country. He made it clear In 2023 President Gustavo Petro, when during the signing of the Pact for the transition Energy said the department has potential for 25 GW. “With the clean energy of La Guajira at its maximum, we could replace Colombia’s electricity generation, including hydroelectric plants,” He stressed. Mill display. He is not the only one who thinks. La Guajira offers a panorama attractive enough so that over recent years it has caught the attention of companies in the sector. In 2019 the Indepaz Institute I calculated that throughout the next decade up to 57 wind projects promoted by 19 companies could be built, many of them linked to multinationals. In summary: tens of thousands of hectares and several thousand self -generators. For now, BBC points out that in the region there are 15 parks under construction that will be added to existing ones, such as Guajira 1with a power of 20 MW. Something more than wind. La Guajira is nevertheless more than a territory in which to lift wind turbines. The Peninsula is also home to Wayuu peoplean indigenous community that has seen how the soil he occupies for generations became the object of desire for energy. With all that that implies. “The situation is complicated since many companies, several of them, began to arrive with the intention of developing renewable projects,” explained A year ago Mikel Berraondo, a lawyer specialized in human rights and indigenous peoples, in an article published in The country. To that factor is added another, just as relevant. According to data from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) of Colombia, at least in 2022 La Guajira was the second department of the country with a Greater poverty index. His fact only overcame him. The area too stands out In studies on “multidimensional poverty” and according to data collected in 2022 in the middle Portfolio Thousands of homes also lack electrical connection. The wind war. The situation in La Guajira has tensioned so much that there are those who already speak of “The Wind War”. And the reason is not so much wind projects themselves as the way they are being deployed. Critical voices They speak of lack of impact studies and a limited participation of communities in the benefits generated by parks. They also question how traditional authorities that represent the peoples settled in the region for centuries have been consulted, which would have in turn referred to conflicts. “Disturb our dreams”. In An article Prepared two years ago María M. Monsalve explains that the Wayuu have questioned the previous consultations that, theoretically, should ensure that the development of wind projects is not done back to them. The reason: according to critics, there are closed pacts with people who do not hold the property of the land or have decision -making capacity. The equation is complicated by the existence of different authorities in the communities, the debate on how to compensate them or the impact of plants on the culture of the natives. “At night, the noise of the turbines disturbs our dreams. For us they are sacred,” Point to the BBC José L. Iguarán. When he now leaves his house in La Guajira, what he sees is a row of mills. What … and how. “There have been no analysis of the risks and studies of impacts on human rights with the participation of the communities. Nor are they seen resolution and mitigation of adverse impacts. And, judging by the complaints that arrive from the Wayuu communities and organizations, the international standards of rights of indigenous peoples ratified in Colombia are not being respected,” laments Berraondo. “Many communities do not oppose the development of projects if their rights are respected.” The debate, served. The issue is complex because other relevant factors are added to the tensions in the community, such as Energy plans from the country or the contributions of companies to the territory. Despite the noise of turbines or how they affect their traditions, Iguarán admits that in certain aspects its people have also been favored with the arrival of the wind farm Guajira i. The company behind the project has financed better infrastructure for water channeling or traffic and pays several communities a quota that depends on the income generated by electricity and the sale of carbon credits. Enough? “Companies are not respecting the right to participation for the benefit of communities and, on the other hand, offer them social investment plans with trap, since they can only execute such plans with the same companies that propose them,” Berraondo trench. A problem with consequences. Beyond the debate generated in Colombia or its media reach inside and outside the country, the situation in La Guajira is relevant because It is affecting to the sector and complicates the plans of the companies. TO late 2024 EDP ​​Renewables, in charge of the Alpha and Beta parks in La Guajira, decided to leave Colombia. The reason: delays and complications in which several factors influenced, such as COVID, but also the increase in indigenous communities involved in the prior consultation phase. In 2023 And after the effect of “Constant” Protests in the … Read more

Colombia reverses conflict with the US over deportations and Trump lifts sanctions

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The White House said this Sunday that Colombia backtracked and agreed to accept its deported citizens on military flights, after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose sanctions. The Trump administration will suspend planned tariffs and most sanctions, according to a White House statement. Minutes later, the chancellor of Colombia, Luis Gilberto Murillo confirmed that his country considers “the impasse with the United States has been overcome” and that he accepts the terms of Trump’s repatriation policy. “We will continue to receive Colombian men and women who return as deportees,” the diplomat said in a press conference. The White House said in a statement that Colombia, Latin America’s fourth largest economy, agreed to “accept without restrictions all illegal aliens from Colombia returning from the United States.”even on US military aircraft, without limitations or delays.” Petro upset Trump “Today’s events make clear to the world that the United States is respected again,” the statement added. He added that “President Trump will continue to fiercely protect the sovereignty” of the United States and that he hopes that all nations “will cooperate fully to accept the deportation of their citizens who are illegally” in the country. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the first leftist in power in the South American country, had angered Trump by refusing to accept military planes with Colombians deported from the United States. Petro said his country would welcome the migrants back, but “with dignity,” even on civilian planes. Keep reading:• Trump imposes tariffs and other sanctions on Colombia after Petro’s refusal to receive deportees• Petro offers presidential plane for the return of migrants from the US and calls on Celac• Tom Homan on mass deportation: “ICE agents from all over the country will be on the streets from the beginning”

We believed that the price of coffee could not rise much more. The diplomatic “war” between Colombia and the US thinks otherwise

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Of the tens of thousands of words that make up the English lexicon, Donald Trump has one that he especially likes and for which he has declared his love in some or other interview: tariff (tariff). This weekend he reminded the Colombian president of this in a quite practical way, threatening to impose 25% rates (or even 50%) if he did not give in to the aggressive immigration policy which is promoted from the White House. Everything indicates that it will remain that way, a threat, but it serves to warm up a market that has been facing strong shocks for months. turbulence: the one with coffee. Yes 2025 It looked complicated For lovers of morning espressos, your outlook has just become more complicated. What has happened? That Trump has shown that, indeed, he feels a special weakness for the word “tariff.” Over the last few weeks it has announced more or less clearly that it will apply taxes on imports of China, Mexico, Canada, Europe, Denmark and even Spainalthough it is still not entirely clear whether the latter was said deliberately or as a result of a geographical ‘slip’. Curiously, it has been another country that has been on the verge of suffering tariff fury from the republican: Colombia. Screenshot of Trump’s announcement on Truth Social. Why’s that? For something that actually has little to do with the international market, trade balances and tax policy. The trigger has been migration. And a political fight between Washington and Bogotá. Basically, yesterday the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, refused to allow two planes from the US loaded with deported Colombians to land in his country. What’s more, he threatened not to welcome them until Trump adopts protocols that guarantee treatment. “with dignity and respect” for immigrants. The response of the Republican, who has managed to return to the White House after an electoral campaign that largely pivoted on a hardening of immigration policy, it did not take long to wait: through its platform Truth Social advertisement a 25% rate for the import of Colombian merchandise that would rise to 50% in a matter of days. Petro responded after a few hours with the same currencyordering a sudden increase (25%) in the tariffs that Bogotá applies to US goods. How did the crash end? In dispatches and without reaching customs. At least for now. Despite its initial reaction, the Petro Executive ended up giving in to Washington’s demands and agreed to receive the planes with deportees. Enough so that Trump has not yet signed the economic sanctions, which have already been drafted and will be activated if his southern neighbor “does not comply” with the agreement. “The Government of Colombia has accepted all of President Trump’s terms, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returning from the US,” they boast from the White House, which reminds that Bogotá will also receive them “without limitations or delay.” Click on the image to go to the tweet. What does it have to do with coffee? Simple. The announcement of Trump’s tariffs and the fight between the White House and the Nariño Palace did more than shake up American diplomacy. He also put on guard various sectors Colombians who have important interests in the United States, such as oil, floriculture (which is preparing for the millionaire campaign Valentine’s Day) and coffee. Of all of them, the one more expectation generatesdue to the state of its market and price driftis the latter. At the end of the day, Colombia is not just any country on the international coffee map. And the United States is not just another market for Colombian producers either. This double condition means that everything that affects the relationship between the two, including of course the threats of 25% tariffs or even 50%, interest (and quite a bit) to the market. But… What does the data say? To begin with, Colombia is one of the main coffee powers on the planet. The own tables The US Department of Agriculture places it as the third largest producer, only behind Brazil and Vietnam. Other observatories leave the same drawing, like Statista. A 2024 reportThe USDA office, linked to the US Government, estimated that during the 2024/2025 campaign, Colombian coffee exports would total around 12 million GBE bags. Colombia matters on the global coffee map. And its relationship with the United States is also important, something that is better understood with the help of a couple of figures. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), in 2022 Colombia exported 15.6 billion dollars to the US, of which almost 1.8 billion corresponded to coffee. This data makes it the second largest exported commodity in terms of value, only behind crude oil. The footprint of Colombia in the flow of coffee that reaches the US is also considerable. Click on the image to go to the tweet. But the rate would affect the US, right? The US tariff policy is that, the US tariff policy, and as warned The New York Times Yesterday, basically imposing 25% taxes on Colombian goods would mean that Americans would have to dig deeper into their pockets to buy flowers and coffee. However, if we talk about grain, what happens on the other side of the Atlantic interests us. And the reason is very simple: shocks like the one on Sunday put even more tension on a market that is already go through turbulence. “If the US imposes a 25% tariff on all Colombian exports, the already red-hot coffee market will heat up even more. Colombia is the third largest coffee producer in the world (and a key source of rabi beans). premium)”, I was reflecting yesterday in X Javier Blas, Bloomberg columnist. In the same tweet he included a column written by himself a few days ago in which he warned of the complex panorama facing the coffee market. And what situation is that? In Xataka we have talked already several times her. And it is summed up … Read more

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