The Diplomat
The Spain-UNESCO Trust Fund, with financing and technical support from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), has financed a mission to the archaeological site of La Isabela, in the Dominican Republic, the permanent Spanish settlement in America.
Experts of various nationalities and Spanish archaeologists will participate in the mission, including the director of the National Museum of Underwater Archeology of Cartagena (ARQUA) and representatives of the Spanish Ministry of Culture and the University of Cádiz. These experts are part of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Council of the Convention for the Protection of Underwater Heritage of 2001.
The mission is part of a project to recover, preserve and disseminate the important heritage of La Isabela, the first permanent Spanish settlement in America, founded during the second Columbian voyage.
According to the AECID, it is an archaeological site of incalculable historical and cultural value for the Dominican Republic and Spain. The collaboration with local authorities gives continuity to other previous AECID projects in this territory, and reinforces the commitment of Spanish Cooperation with cultural heritage as a factor of sustainable development for local communities. The UNESCO methodology guarantees the incorporation of municipalities and neighborhood associations from the first preparatory phases of the project.
The mission will remain at the archaeological site for ten days, and will include underwater observation activities of the bay, where there could be a significant number of wrecks. Likewise, awareness-raising and capacity-building activities related to the protection of this cultural heritage will be organized in the medium term.
