Archaeologists have discovered a Spanish coin placed beside the Strait of Magellan in southern Chile as part of a ceremony carried out by colonists more than 400 years ago.
The coin is a vital clue for archaeologists investigating a colonial settlement there, as it matches a surviving 1584 account of the Christian ceremony involving the coin, a standard practice when Spanish colonial settlements were founded. The find also helps to validate an old map of the long-lost settlement.
