What is the El Cazador shipwreck?

The El Cazador shipwreck is ship lost at sea that was found in 1993 by fisherman Jerry Murphy in the Gulf of Mexico. The El Cazador disappeared in 1784 with 19 tons of Spanish silver reales.

Murphy found the wreck when his fishing nets hauled up piles of silver coins. After a year of research, experts hired by Murphy determined the wreck was that of the El Cazador. The ship had set out from Veracruz, Mexico headed toward New Orleans, which was then the capital of Spain's Louisiana colony. The money was meant to pay soldiers and government officials in the colony after its paper money lost much of its value.