The “Submerged History” features the recovered artefacts from the underwater archaeological excavations of a shipwreck off Gaspar Island, Barangay Pinggan, Gasan municipality as well as the documentation of wooden ship remains in Barangay Laylay, Boac municipality.
The shipwreck found off Gaspar Island, Barangay Pinggan, Gasan was accidentally discovered by a local fisherman in November 1980. Archaeologists from the National Museum – Anthropology Division in collaboration with a private group and support from the Philippine Navy excavated the site from 1981 to 1983. A total of 1,260 artifacts were collected by the underwater archaeologist
The Chinese blue – white porcelains recovered from the underwater excavation were identified as Zhangzhou ceramics also called as “Swatow” ceramics,produced by dragon- type kilns in the Zhangzhou region of Fujian Province during the mid-16th to the mid-17th centuries CE. They most appear in varying sizes of dishes, bowls, vases, boxes, jarlets and jars.
Dragon jars were also part of these archaeological finds, generally high-fired glazed stonewares with impressive dragon decorations. The Chinese believed the mythical animal was a symbol of power, strength and good luck and was commonly used to decorate different objects. Majority of the dragon jars have been produced by the kilns located in Guangdong and Fujian Province in China.
The shipwreck in Barangay Laylay, Boac was a landmark project of the National Museum of the Philippines.Underwater excavations from 2014 until 2016 resulted in the unearthing of wooden ship remains consisting of a keel approximately 28 meters long, planks, and other timber. Initial finds suggested that the wreck possibly belonged to a Spanish patrol boat dated to the late 18th century CE based on the type of cannons retrieved from the site.
The shipwrecks in Pinggan, Gasan and Laylay, Boac are direct material evidence of Marinduque’s active participation in local and international maritime trade that helped shape its current vibrant and remarkable culture.
