University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Archaeology and Anthropology, South Carolina Faculty & Staff ubP lications Institute of 3-2005 SCIAA's Maritime Research Division Lends Helping Hand to Mexico Christopher F. Amer [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/sciaa_staffpub Part of the Anthropology Commons Publication Info Published in Legacy, Volume 9, Issue 1-2, 2005, pages 20-24. http://www.cas.sc.edu/sciaa/ © 2005 by The outhS Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology This Article is brought to you by the Archaeology and Anthropology, South Carolina Institute of at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty & Staff ubP lications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Maritime chDivision SCIAA's Maritime "Research Division Lends Helping Hand to Mexico " By ~hristopher F. Amer On a nearly cloudless day in Jtme, propagated~by aii Jjm Spin~k and I stood in the com­ urgent request puter cabin of the research vessel tlieprevious year ITMARIll starjng-at the 'array of from Pilar Luna familiar-looking co¥1puters and Erraguenena, cables linking the units to each other, Subdirectora de the Trimble GPS antenna set high Sub.direcci6n de atop the bridge and the remote Aquelogia sensing "fish" ra cked on the'aft deck. Subacuatica for The only other familiar thing was the Mexico's lnstituto oppressive neat and humidity. .1'h ~ Nacional de scene au t of the porthole was not tha t Antropologia e of a South Carolina marsh. Rather, Historia (INA H), around us, shrimp boats were the Mexican stacked two or three deep at the equivalent to our quays, their equipment spread National Park Service. In 1998, remains of Nucsira Seliora Del Juncal, around the docks while crews INAH had purchased a custom-built which sank in 1631, some 150 welded superstructures, creosoted marine remote system from Sandia kjlometers west of Campeche. cables, and repaired nets in prepara­ Research Corporation in New Pilar requested that SCIAA assist tion for the upcoming shrjmping Mexico. The ESPADAS system was th em with troubleshooting season, which was to open in less one of only two units produced by ESPADAS, which was not working, than two months. Behind the port of Sandia, the second, identical, system setting up the system and the survey, Lerma, the main port for Campeche, (ADAP III) going to the Maritime and training their archaeologists and Mexico, the hills reflected the heat Research Division of SCIAA (see staff in the use of the equipment, back on us and caused the hot wind Legacy, Vol. 3, No.2, 1998) . Their marine archaeological survey streaming across the Yucatan to archaeologist, who had operated teclmiques, and ship construction. speed across the Gulf of Mexico. ESPADAS since 1998, left INAH in She also brought down Marc Andre Our presence in Mexico was 2003 to pursue a PhD elsewhere, Bernjer from Parks Canada's leaving them with Underwa ter Archaeology Unit to little experience in train their team of divers, many of using and trouble­ whom had limited archaeological shooting the experience in underwater survey and system. INAH recording techniques. The course was about to begin Marc conducted, was based on one its fourth field developed by the Nautical Archaeol­ season since 1997 ogy Society in England, and was very of an ongoing similar to the one developed by Lynn project to inven­ Harris for SCIAA's Sport Diver tory and diagnose Archaeology Management Program the submerged in the early 1990s to train Hobby culhlral resources divers to assist SCIAA. in the Gulf of With all expenses paid by the Mexico and to look Mexican government, Jim Spirek and for the sunken I agreed to fly to Campeche and 20 Legacy, Vol. 9, Nos. 1/2, March 2005 often stretch Gulf. Owned by Pemex, Mexico's hom Florida to largest oil and gas company, this rig Mexico City supplies oil to nine pumping and descend stations, each of which can accommo­ on the unwary date a half-million ton tanker. At boater rapidly night the scene looked like a floa ting and w ith a city with a huge castle lit up like a vengeance. Christmas tree. By day, the rigging of Our initial IT1\1lAR III was the home to dozens of departure frigate birds, which kept us company from Lerma throughout much of the survey. was delayed After two days, the storm passed, due to the and we could begin our survey. The approach of location chosen was one of the areas one of these where historical documents sug­ Fig. 3: Jim Spirek instructs Lisseth Pedroza, one of the INAH l1ortcs, which gested the wreck might have gone archaeologists, in the use of the ESPADAS system. (SCIAA photo by Christopher FAme!') closed the port down. The Spanish fleet had left to all outgoing Veracruz in October 1631 and Nuestra work with Pilar's group. Roberto vessels. A week later, with a second SeJ'iora Del Juncal, the capitana of the Galindo was in charge of the window of opportunity rapidly fleet, had become separated from the ESPADAS and the survey logistics closing, IT/\IlAR III slipped out of other ships due to a broken for the project, while Vera Maya, a port shortl y after dusk and headed mainmast. Caught in a norte, the recently graduated archaeologist into the sunset. Early the next crew attempted to reach the safety of from Mexico City would handle the morning we awakened to the Campeche when the ship was Geographical Information System crashing of waves against the hull overcome and foundered. (GIS). During three weeks in and the shouts of lTMAR Ill's erevl'. The balance of the survey was November and December 2003, The nine members of the survey crew fairly uneventful, except for periodic utilizing experience gleaned from stumbled out onto the heaving deck computer shutdowns, usually caused working on our own system, we to discover that another El Norte was by conflicts in the software, and one worked with Roberto and the crew headed our way checking connections, tracing wiring and th e waves and bundles, reconfiguring computer wind ahead of the settings, installing software, and front had sunk the performing numerous other "tricks" launch, which was to get the system up and nmning. towed behind the Unfortunately, Jim had to return to vessel. After South Carolina just before we put to recovering the sea to test the system and conduct stricken launch, the the survey. However, he did not get captain headed for off that easily and returned to Mexico the only shelter in for the last week of survey. But more the area, Cayo on that later. Arcas. By the time Fall and winter are the season for we reached Arcas, El Norte in the Gulf of Mexico. These El Norte was upon Fig. 4: Cayo Arcas as the t of EI Norte approaches. photo by Christopher F Amer) bands of storms swoop down across us and by late the Gulf at fairly regular intervals, evening the lee of this tiny islet was event when the magnetometer tow bringing with them high winds and home to dozens of fishing boats and fish hit the bottom in 20 meters of torrential rain. The Mexicans take El craft associated with the oil and gas water causing damage to the tailfin Norte very seriously, and so they industry. Astern of us sat one of the assembly. Jim arrived back on the should. The fronts of these storms larger oil drilling platforms in the second day of survey, ferried out the See MEXICO, Page 22 LegaClj, Vol. 9, Nos. 1/ 2, March 2005 21 MEXICO, From Page 21 100-plus kilometers to !IMAR III in a INAH computer technicians, Campeche Police Boston Whale!' the computer operating which also delivere<j .l11uch needed systemswere upgraded to supplies like Coca-Cola and chocolate Windows 98, We also left bar,s, In exchange fQr Jim, two of the them with a "to do" list to Mexiccltl crew returned to Campeche, maintain the equipment and During the six-day survey we towed 'pre£are for the nextJield the magnetemeter sens'orArom early season, Amid the hustle and ,.morning until aiter dark, c,overing bustle ofproblem solving, s~rvey nd training, there ""as still time or a say trip to Edzria, one of the Fig, 6: Jim Spirek and the author conducting a survey largest Mayan sites in aboard Zayosa/, (SCIAA photo by Roberto Galindo) the region, nine-meter long launch provided by Eqrly this year, we the INAH office in Campeche, As received a request from part of their research design, the team INAH to continue our was already developing a sizable support and training for database of wrec ks n ear the coast, their underwater archaeo­ based on reports from local fisher­ logical crew Wi th the men, For the firs t week in June, we approval of SCIAA's worked on the launch, Znyosnl, director, the University, and installing the ESPADAS system and the State Legislature, we modifying the boat's characteristics Fig, 5: The Pemex oil drilling rig , and Areas, after the storm, (SCIAA photo by Christopher FAme!) returned to Campeche, Jim for surveying with a crew of five, for 10 days in June and After field tria ls, we set about some three square kilometers of myself for the month, If the 2003 conducting magnetometer and sonar survey area in IS-meter-Iane incre­ field season was cha racterized by surveys at reported shipwreck ments, but detecting only a few small software conflicts and problems, locations provided to us by the local magnetic anomalies, However, the 2004 was the season of equipment fishermen, If a survey revealed an survey afforded the Mexican crew an failures and logistical problems, anomaly and / or acoustic contact at a opportunity to get used to the Two