Archaeologists pinpointed the exact location of the so-called "Spanish Roanoke," a doomed colony that collapsed within years — after they uncovered a single coin that helped confirm the site.
A group of Chilean researchers recently announced the discovery of the exact location of Rey Don Felipe, later known as Port Famine, along the Strait of Magellan in Chilean Patagonia.
The colony was established by King Philip II of Spain in 1584 in an effort to control the strait, a critical passage between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
But within three years, the site was found abandoned and its colonists dead — earning the name Port Famine.
Using metal detection and high-precision geolocation, researchers tracked variations in signal strength across the ground to pinpoint where to dig.
There, they unearthed a coin — a significant find because it was recovered in situ, meaning exactly where it was originally placed.
The find was consistent with historical accounts describing a coin placed as part of a founding ritual.
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