Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe & Conde de Tolosa

The final voyage

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y San Antonio (the fleet capitana) and San Joseph, alias Conde de Tolosa (the almiranta), sailed from Cádiz on 13 July 1724 as Spain's Flota de Azogues, carrying roughly 5,000 and 3,000 quintales of mercury respectively, bound for Veracruz to supply New Spain's silver-amalgamation mines.

On 24–25 August 1724, a severe storm caught the fleet off the Bahía de Samaná, on the northeast coast of Santo Domingo. Conde de Tolosa sank in about 20 metres of water with catastrophic loss of life — roughly 600 of an estimated 614 aboard drowned, including the fleet's commanding officer. Guadalupe ran aground nearby with far lighter casualties, around 80 dead; survivors from both ships eventually reached shore and were rescued.

What was aboard

Spanish archival records document the fleet's general cargo — mercury, iron, oil, wine, brandy, and state papers — alongside personal effects including a notable glassware collection. The 1976 recovery was conducted without archaeological methodology, so its object count is documented but not matched to a pre-existing cargo inventory.

Mercury (azogue): The primary cargo: roughly 5,000 quintales aboard Guadalupe and 3,000 aboard Tolosa, intended for silver amalgamation in New Spain.

Decorated glassware: A well-preserved and well-documented collection of 364 complete glass pieces plus hundreds of fragments was recovered from Guadalupe.

Bulk iron, oil, wine, and brandy: General trade goods carried alongside the mercury, per Spanish shipping records.

State papers and religious bulls: Official documents and papal bulls (bulas) are recorded as part of the cargo.

How to collect

Distinguish Guadalupe from Tolosa material: Most documented recovery and academic study concerns Guadalupe; be specific about which ship any offered object is attributed to.

Understand the 1976 recovery's limits: Because it was conducted without archaeological method, individual object findspots within the wreck are often not finely documented.

Approach devotional and glass items with respect: Given the scale of loss of life aboard Tolosa, this is a maritime grave site; collecting should be approached with appropriate gravity.

Verify against the Casas Reales collection: Museum-held comparanda can help confirm whether an offered object type is consistent with documented recoveries.