Spanish Treasure Fleet

The Spanish treasure fleet, the Flota de Indias, was the convoy system that moved American silver, gold, and goods between Spain and its colonies from 1566 to 1790. Two annual fleets, one to New Spain and one to the Isthmus, rendezvoused at Havana before crossing to Seville and later Cadiz, escorted against privateers and pirates. Hurricanes and attacks sank many galleons; wrecks such as Nuestra Senora de Atocha, lost in 1622 and salvaged in 1985, are among the richest underwater finds and contentious heritage cases.