During colonial times, an active maritime trade existed between Spain and the New World, with convoys sailing annually to and from Mexico and returning via Havana, Cuba, after wintering in America. A database constructed from secondary and open sources revealed that Spanish vessels were sailing over open waters along a northern path near Louisiana and a southern path across the central Gulf of Mexico. These routes were traversed in about one month and scheduling for the convoy was based on an understanding of the Americas' meteorological and oceanographic climate. However, other factors may also have been involved in the directional layout of the routes. Today these ancient routes crisscross planning areas for oil and gas lease sales in the US Exclusive Economic Zone and the information presented in this article may aid in identifying areas where historic shipwrecks may lie. Maps and documents found during this study helped piece together the evolution of our understanding of the Gulf of Mexico surface circulation and how this knowledge influenced sailing during colonial times. Keywords Routes Á Derrotas Á Gulf of Mexico Á Veracruz Á Havana Á New Spain Á Shipwrecks A. Lugo-Fernández (&) Physical Sciences Unit (MS 5433),

The area to be impacted by the proposed waterline included a tract on the banks of the headwaters of the San Marcos River and tracts adjacent to the Aquatic Biology Building. The project area is partially within the known boundaries of site 41HY161. The archaeological investigations included shovel testing, backhoe trenching, excavation of three 1 x 1-m units, and monitoring. Upon completion, based on the results of this archaeological work, it was determined that no intact cultural resources would be impacted by the planned trench construction between the west bank of the San Marcos River and the southeast corner of the Aquatic Biology Building. However, intact cultural deposits were identified west of the Aquatic Biology Building dating to the late Paleoindian and Archaic periods. Therefore, clearance for the pipeline route was recommended in areas that did not contain cultural resources and in areas disturbed by recent or historic construction. To avoid disturbance to intact cultural materials, Southwest Texas State University was required to modify the depth of the pipeline trench west of the Aquatic Biology Building.

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) are required to consider the effects of their permitted actions on cultural resources, per the National Historic Preservation Act (1966). After the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, BOEM, BSEE, and study partners implemented a multidisciplinary approach to assess micro- to macro-scale impacts from the spill on a select number of previously investigated deepwater shipwrecks. The Gulf of Mexico Shipwreck Corrosion, Hydrocarbon Exposure, Microbiology, and Archaeology (GOM-SCHEMA) Project collected microbiological, geochemical, and archaeological data at wooden- and metal-hulled shipwrecks within and outside of the spill-impacted area for a comparative analysis. Archaeologists documented the selected shipwrecks’ post-spill state of preservation using 3D optical and acoustic scanning systems for comparison with existing geophysical and visual data collected prior to the spill. Marine archaeologists are using 3D scanning systems as new tools for recording and interpreting shipwreck sites and analyzing site formation processes in the marine environment. The GOM-SCHEMA Project combined 3D laser data from an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) with 3D sonar data collected by a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) as a first step toward monitoring efforts that will inform BOEM and BSEE of the spill’s long-term impacts on deepwater shipwreck preservation. Employing microbial ecological analyses and laboratory-based corrosion experiments that identified micro-scale impacts, scientists gained a better understanding of how the spill affected the natural processes of metal corrosion and wood degradation. 3D imaging creates a permanent digital record that allows scientists to study minute details and also serves as an important outreach tool by allowing the public to virtually explore archaeological resources. By comparing 3D scans collected repeatedly at the same sites over time, especially the sub-centimeter-accurate 3D laser data, archaeologists can quantitatively analyze changes occurring on these sites as a result of enhanced corrosion or degradation. Collectively, these datasets can inform archaeologists and submerged cultural resource managers about site stability, formation processes such as sedimentation and scouring, and the long-term impacts of a major oil spill on submerged cultural resources.

Increasing deep-water oil & gas exploration, through its compliance with offshore regulatory oversight, has located significant archaeological sites in the Gulf of Mexico. These unsolved mysteries of the deep have much to tell about the unique history and culture of this region. Recently, an investigation of three early nineteenth-century shipwrecks located 170 miles off the Louisiana-Texas coast has yielded invaluable information. Following the discovery of three distinct yet unknown sonar targets during a Shell Oil seafloor hazard and archaeological survey conducted in 2011, video examination of one site, named Monterrey Wreck A, occurred in April 2012 with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Okeanos Explorer expedition. The tantalizing results of that expedition led to another more intensive investigation in July 2013 with a multi-team, multi-faceted mapping and artifact recovery effort. The privately funded 2013 archaeological investigation was affected through collaboration between varied federal and state partners, academic and nonprofit partners teaming archeologists, biologists, ROV specialists, and educators together in a public/private partnership to explore and learn more about this site. After detailed mapping of the wreck site, more than 60 artifacts were recovered, along with biological and sediment samples, intended to help identify and date the site and provide information about the environmental conditions occurring on a shipwreck at a depth of 4300 ft. During the 2013 investigation, the two nearby shipwrecks were also mapped and documented; confirming a hypothesis that the three shipwrecks are likely associated and perhaps lost during a single cataclysmic event such as a storm. Artifact conservation and analysis is ongoing, but preliminary research suggests that Monterrey Shipwrecks date to the early part of the nineteenth-century and are comprised of an armed vessel and possibly two consort cargo vessels or prizes. The 2013 expedition was broadcast live, via satellite, through the unique telepresence capabilities of the research vessel Ocean Explotation Trust (OET) Nautilus that enabled field archeologists and educators to describe the ongoing work and interact with the public. Continued public outreach includes report preparation and the creation of educational materials.

In February 1997, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by the San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS) to conduct an intensive archaeological survey and geomorphological study along a proposed 5 .5-km water main right-of-way, from the junction of ill-3 7 and Loop 1604 to the San Antonio River in southeast Bexar County. Upon completion of a 1 DO-percent pedestrian survey, 10 backhoe trenches, and 152 shovel tests, CAR concluded that no significant cultural remains would be impacted by excavations for the proposed water main, and recommends that no further archaeological work is required prior to construction.