Costa Rica´s Best Guide Online Magazine

ISLA DEL COCO Costa Rica´s Fabled Treasure Island isladelcoco.go.cr

Stories of pirates, shipwrecks and legendary hidden treasures have stirred the imagination of many for two centuries since the year of Our Lord 1820 when a small, old English merchant vessel quietly slipped away carrying 24 heavy wooden boxes filled with gold coins and rich ornaments from the Cathedral of Lima. As a fight for independence from Spain was taking place, led by General San Martin and the English Admiral Cochrane who attacked from land and sea using Chile as the friendly base of operations, the Spanish Viceroy Abascal, believed it would be wise to move the treasure to a safer location, and hired the merchant ship. However the Captain decided to keep the treasure for himself and the crew and sailed to Cocos Island to hide it there. The plan was to resupply in Panama and lay low for a few months then return for the treasure to be divided in equal parts but on the way to Panama they were intercepted by the Peruvian, a Spanish captained ship which left the Port of Callao to pursue them and they were all placed on the top deck and asked where the treasure of Lima was. When they refused to say , 8 of the 11 were executed. The three

74