Santiago Coins
Santiago de Chile struck no silver or gold cobs, but the first difficult years of its coinage, 1749-51, are well represented in the salvage of Senora de La Luz (1752), a wreck with which we are quite familiar. The first owner and treasurer of the Santiago mint was Francisco Garcia de Huidobro. Huidobro sought the assistance and advice of his friend, Lima viceroy Velasco, and Lima mint superintendent Morales, in overcoming problems with his early coinage. Unfortunately, none of Santiago’s first reales made it to the Luz. By 1751 Huidobro’s mint had at least mastered the gold coinage and was able to produce some very attractive 8 escudos.
