Port Royal A: Artefacts at Fort Rocky museum (top) cannonballs and at the bottom is a dagger (katar) which finds its origins in South Asia. – Photos by Amitabh Sharma

History often teaches its greatest lessons not through triumph, but through tragedy. Few places in Jamaica embody this truth more profoundly than Port Royal, the legendary city that once stood as one of the richest and most notorious ports in the Western Hemisphere.

On June 7, 1692, at approximately 11:43 a.m., a devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the thriving city. Built largely on a narrow sand spit at the end of the Palisadoes Strip, Port Royal sat on unstable foundations. As the earth shook violently, the sandy ground underwent liquefaction, causing streets, homes, warehouses, and grand buildings to sink beneath the sea within minutes. Nearly two-thirds of the city disappeared beneath the harbour waters.