Luna is the head of the Underwater Archaeology division at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), whose career has spanned over three decades, and who's considered to be a pioneer of underwater archaeology. Just this month, she was awarded the J.C Harrigton Award by the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA), making her the first Latin American recipient, and the fourth woman ever to receive the prize. The award is considered to be among the highest honours in the field of historical archaeology, and is given to those who have made significant contributions to the research and preservation of world cultural heritage.
Just last week, Luna addressed an audience in Mexcio City, speaking on the fragility of Mexico's underwater "treasures" - an estmated 250 sunken vessels and other submerged artifacts that make up the areas cultural heritage. "The interests have not changed," Luna said. "It continues to be the precious metals that are pursued by treasure hunters at any cost and by those who forget that, beyond their economic value, it is history and culture."
The sunken boats are from the series of colonizers that began transporting people and mercandise from the New World to Spain, starting in the 16th century. The ships were loaded with gold, silver and precious stones.
According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, since the 1970s INAH has declined over 30 requests to do salvage work on the ships in Mexican waters. "One of those requests came from Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc., which became famous in 2007 after salvaging $500 million in gold and silver coins from the wreck of a Spanish ship that sank in an 1804 battle off the coast of Portugal..." the article states, and notes that the matter of whether the treasure belongs to the company or the Spanish government is still in the courts.
Luna noted that it is becoming more difficult for "treasure hunters" to access these artifacts, due in part to the 2001 U.N. Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage treaty.
Luna's appointment to the UNESO Council prompted a congratulatory letter from Mexican President Filipe Calderon, who noted that the work will continue in 2011 to inventory and assess the cultural resources submerged deep in the Gulf of Mexico.
