El Nuevo Constante carried ceramics made in Mexico for export. The cargo list called these Guadalajara wares. There were two boxes of ceramic gift items, 10 boxes of small bowls or pots, and seven boxes of large vases or bowls. They all may have been from the village of Tonala, near Guadalajara. People in that town had been making pottery for export since at least the early 1700s. Many of the fragile pieces of ceramics survived the wreck and more than 200 years under water.
Other cargo items were two pictures on canvas and two kimonos. The kimonos probably came from Asia on ships that traveled regularly between Mexico and the Philippines. Spanish records say that the two kimonos were recovered from the wreck, but not the two pictures. El Nuevo Constante also carried 900 pounds of gunpowder and 60 bundles of flour for troops posted in Havana, Cuba. These were not preserved on the wreck.
The ship carried four boxes of turtle shell for a merchant named Juan Antonio Gonzales NandÃn. In Europe, artisans would have crafted the shell into snuff boxes, combs and other items. The Spanish rescued about half of the shipment, and archaeologists found other pieces.
Miniature ceramic vase, measuring about 1.5 inches wide.
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Miniature ceramic jar and lid.