AMARO PARGO’S
Missing Treasure Chest
Overview
One of the most renowned corsairs in Spain during the Golden Age of Piracy, Amaro Pargo was seen as the Spanish equivalent of Francis Drake, dominating the route between Cádiz and the Caribbean from 1701 to 1727 attacking ships belonging to enemies of Spain.
He lived a prosperous life, he died a very rich man on October 4th 1747 and was buried with a marble headstone engraved with the family shield, under the shield, a skull on cross bones, winking with its right eye.
In his last will and testament he wrote that he had left a box in his cabin containing precious jewels, gold, silver, pearls, satins and more. The entire box’s contents were itemised in a book wrapped in parchment and marked with the letter “D”. However, the book and the box have never been found.
Portrait of Amaro Pargo in the “Christ of Humility and Patience” canvas from the Hermitage of Our Lady of the Rosary.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The Legend
San Cristóbal de La Laguna.
Born Rodriguez Felipe in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands) on 3 May 1678 to Juan Rodriguez Felipe and Beatriz Tejera Machado, affluent property owners of San Cristóbal de La Laguna who lived in the Plaza de San Cristóbal in La Laguna, where Rodriguez Felipe would grow up before becoming Amaro Pargo.
In 1701 Rodriguez boarded a galley ship of the King of Spain named the Ave Maria, nicknamed La Chata as a second lieutenant. While on route between the Caribbean and Cadiz the ship was boarded by pirates. Amaro suggested to the captain that they stage a surrender deceiving the pirates and starting a battle which catches the pirates off-guard. The plan was a success and they emerged victorious from the battle. As a thanks, the captain gifted Amaro with his first ship with which he began his business activities as a trader and a corsair under a letter of marque from King Phillip V of Spain.
It is documented that Amaro Pargo Systematically attacked and looted enemy ships in his long 40 some year career in trading and as a corsair. His exploits were often rewarded by friendly captains and the kings of Spain. With his acumen for business as a merchant trader and his prevalent success at looting ships he was able to amass a massive amount of wealth which may well have made him the richest man in Tenerife. Some of those exploits for which he is known for are as follows:
In 1703 Amaro was captaining the Ave Maria y Las Ánimas, a frigate which was a part of the West Indies Fleet, a Spanish Treasure Fleet purposed for transporting a wide variety of goods including precious metals and gems from the America’s back to Spain.
Artwork of El Clavel.
Island of Tenerife.
In 1712 he captured an English Ship, the Saint Joseph. According to its captain, Alexander Westher, Amaro sacked the ship and seized its possessions.
By Royal Decree from Felipe V in 1719, Amaro was authorized to build a merchant ship of 58 guns in Campeche. In 1722 Amaro used the ship to approach and loot a Dutch ship, the Duyvelant before it became a part of the Navy in 1723.
In 1737 he was the owner of El Mercader de Canarias, a ship captained by John Plunket. He also had ownership shares with another merchant vessel of La Laguna, the Don Pedro Dujardin.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The Treasure
After amassing a large fortune during his career Amaro Pargo had become one of the wealthiest people in the Canary Islands. Although he donated a large sum of his wealth to helping the people of Tenerife he still held a fortune and owned several properties and ships.
October 4th 1747 marked the passing of Amaro Pargo who died in his hometown of San Cristóbal de La Laguna on the island of Tenerife. According to records and documents regarding his funeral it was a “very solemn” event which captivated the entire community. During the process of transferring his body to the where he would be buried the funeral procession had to be stopped 8 times because of the crowds that had gathered in the streets to witness the event. When the procession finally reached its destination of the Santo Domingo de Guzmán Convent in La Laguna, Amaro was laid to rest in the family tomb where a large marble headstone was placed. The headstone was engraved with the family shield, and under it a skull winking with its right eye in front of two crossed bones.
La Siervita de Dios (Sister Mary of Jesus).
Papers of Amaro Pargo.
A hearing was held for the reading of Amaro Pargo’s will which he had written up before his passing. At the time of his death his estate was substantial and all was due to be divided up amongst the heirs. At this time Manuel de la Trinidad Rodríguez had arrived in La Laguna to demand his share of his fathers estate. However, as the illegitimate son of Amaro Pargo and Josefa María del Valdespino of Cuba, he was denied by the rest of the heirs of Amaro’s estate, rejecting his claims that he deserved any part of the estate.
During the reading of the will there was one item which could not be inherited by the heirs. An entry in the will by Amaro stated that a large carved chest was kept in his cabin containing silver, gold, pearls, jewellery, precious stones, chinese porcelain, paintings, silks and other rich fabrics all of which of great value and each itemized in a book wrapped in parchment and marked with the letter “D”. However, the book was nowhere to be found and the location of his cabin unknown. As such, the treasure chest went unclaimed and has never been found.
Main commercial routes of the Spanish Empire with the Indies (in red). Amaro Pargo used the route that crossed the Atlantic and went to the Caribbean.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The Clues
Many treasure hunters have searched for Amaro Pargo’s lost treasure chest over the centuries since. Many speculate as to where or what his “cabin” may have been or what the “D” on the parchment may have signified.
Many who have hunted for the lost treasure of Amaro Pargo believed it to have been in his home in Machado, El Rosario which has been looted many times over the years with no success.
Casa de Amaro Pargo.
Drone Footage of Casa de Amaro Pargo.
Other treasure hunters believed the “cabin” to be a cave known as the Cave of San Mateo in the Punta del Hidalgo hills northeast of Tenerife, where it is believed Amaro Pargo and his crew used the cave to store their loot from their many ventures.
Despite all of the efforts over many years by countless treasure hunters, the treasure has never been found.
Map of the Canary Islands.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Conclusion
The Tomb Of Amaro Pargo.
This treasure legend is one that is backed by evidence in the form of Amaro Pargo’s own will stating that it existed, it’s contents would make any treasure hunter who was able to find it very wealthy and given its elusive nature over the centuries they would certainly go down in the history books for finding the carved treasure chest of Amaro Pargo.
Unfortunately, there is very little information available that can help locate the treasure which is likely why the treasure chest has never been found. What we know is that there should be a book wrapped in parchment and a letter “D” written on it. What the “D” represents is unknown.
Perhaps this book contains the whereabouts of the treasure chest. While it is likely the book and its contents have been lost to time since Amaro Pargo’s death in 1747 we can still hold out a little hope that it may one day be found tucked away in a safe place and that it may tell us where we can find this legendary treasure or the “cabin” in which it is kept.
The Exhumation of the Tomb Of Amaro Pargo for the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag by Ubisoft.
Sources & References
Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:
Primary Source: Amaro Pargo – Wikipedia
Bibliography:
- García Barbusano, Domingo (2004). El corsario Amaro Pargo. Excmo. Ayuntamiento de La Laguna. ISBN 978-84-88919-86-1.
- Frers, Ernesto (2008). Más allá del Legado Pirata. Robinbooks. ISBN 978-84-7927963-9.
- Reina Moreno, Pompeyo (2013). El Sarcófago de las tres llaves. La leyenda del tesoro del corsario Amaro Pargo. Idea. ISBN 978-84-9941-961-9.
- Rivero, Balbina (2014). Amaro Pargo, el pirata de Tenerife. Colección Yorca. ISBN 978-92-10-08678-3.
- Macías Martín, Francisco (2015). El corsario de Dios. Documentos sobre el corsario Amaro Rodríguez Felipe (1678–1747). Viceconsejería de Cultura y Deportes del Gobierno de Canarias. ISBN 978-84-7947-637-3.
- Pallés Darias, Beatriz (2016). Amaro Pargo. Caballero de los mares. Le Canarien Ediciones. ISBN 978-84-946282-2-1.
Other sources of information:
San Cristóbal de La Laguna: Wikipedia
Tabo A Babor: https://www.todoababor.es/historia/amaro-pargo-corsario-de-las-canarias/
Blog Cátedra de Historia y Patrimonio Naval: https://blogcatedranaval.com/2014/02/02/amaro-pargo-el-pirata-espanol-y-su-leyenda/
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Written By
Follow On:
ADAM L C
Director of Areas Grey
Adam is an avid treasure hunter, seeker of adventure and the creator of Areas Grey. After travelling for almost half his life and cataloguing over 100 treasure legends along the way. He decided this was simply far too much treasure for one person to chase! As a result he created Areas Grey so he could share his stories, connect with other treasure hunters and put a little more adventure in the lives of the treasure hunting community.
Adam is a Private Investigator and former Wilderness Guide with a passion for history and archaeology. With the skills, knowledge and gear, Adam is always eager to go on the next fortune seeking adventure and connect with fellow treasure hunters along the way.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
CodeBar Podcast
Join Robert, host of the CodeBar Live podcast and journey into the greatest treasure legends, armchair treasure hunts, codes, ciphers, puzzles, escape rooms, ARG’s, puzzle boxes & more!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Subscribe
Get Free Priority Access To Treasure News, Giveaways, And More!
*By subscribing to the newsletter you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
LET’S CONNECT AND FIND SOME TREASURE!
It’s always a pleasure to hear from a fellow treasure hunter, get in touch using the form below.
Whether you’re looking for someone to help with a treasure hunt, if you’ve got a story to tell, some vital information to share, feedback for Areas Grey, or if you just want to say “hi”, all emails are welcome!
Follow us on:
GET IN TOUCH
Follow us on:
