- "This is Aztec gold. One of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Cortés himself. Blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon them with his armies. But the greed of Cortés was insatiable. So the heathen gods placed upon the gold...a terrible curse. Any mortal that removes but a single piece from that stone chest shall be punished for eternity."
- ―Hector Barbossa to Elizabeth Swann
The Treasure of Cortés was a cursed treasure which was located at the Isla de Muerta, a mysterious island located in the Caribbean. It consisted of a stone chest that contained 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold. The gold was originally used by the Aztec Empire as blood money paid to the conquistador Hernán Cortés, in an attempt to stop the slaughter he wreaked upon. But because of the greed of Cortés, the heathen gods placed a curse over the gold.
History
The Curse of Cortés
- "We spent them and traded them and frittered them away on drink and food and pleasurable company. The more we gave them away, the more we came to realize...the drink would not satisfy. Food turned to ash in our mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust. We are cursed men , Miss Turner."
- ―Hector Barbossa and Elizabeth Swann
A piece of cursed Aztec gold
Cortés accepted the payment, but refused to halt his conquest. In response, the heathen gods placed a terrible curse upon the chest and what lies inside it, so that any mortal who removed a single coin from it would be punished for their transgression with an eternity of suffering. Those afflicted by the curse were rendered immortal, but became rotting skeletons in the moonlight, and were unable to feel any human emotion or sense. The condemned would be forced to live in such an existence until all gold removed from the chest was returned and the blood of all those who took it repaid.[1]
The chest ultimately ended up on Isla de Muerta, possibly after a ship carrying Cortés' treasure ran aground on the island, killing all but one of its crew. The survivor was thought to have hid the treasure ashore before dying. Over time, the dark magic of the treasure cursed the island itself.[2] There the chest remained, and became one of many legends in the Caribbean; Tia Dalma appeared to have been aware of its existence, and gave a veiled warning to a young Jack Sparrow that he would one day become involved with this legend.[3]
Hector Barbossa and Elizabeth Swann near the chest.
Cursed crew
- "Compelled by greed we were, but now…we are consumed by it."
- ―Hector Barbossa
Indeed, in his adult life, Captain Jack Sparrow set out to locate the treasure of Cortés, recruiting a crew to man the Black Pearl after obtaining directions to Isla de Muerta. However, his First Mate, Hector Barbossa, mutinied against Jack and had him marooned on Black Sam's Spit, while now-Captain Barbossa led the crew to the treasure. The crew were duly cursed after taking all 882 pieces, and, upon learning of their fate, spent the following decade hunting down and returning the gold. They were unable to complete the ritual required to lift the curse, however, as William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner had not contributed blood to the chest before being sent overboard by Barbossa, years before.[1]
- "Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment."
- ―Jack Sparrow
Will Turner drops the last cursed coins into the chest.
Thus, the cursed crew were happy to find not only the last of the 882 coins, but also a girl claiming to be of the Turner bloodline, during a raid on Port Royal. It transpired that the girl, Elizabeth Swann, was not actually related to Turner, but the man who set out to rescue her was none other than William Turner, Bootstrap's son. It was he who finally lifted the curse, doing so at the opportune moment to allow Jack Sparrow to shoot Barbossa dead—revenge for the mutiny a decade before.
The crew were rendered mortal,[1] though would later return to Isla de Muerta and make themselves cursed once more, vowing revenge against Sparrow.[4] Barbossa's pet monkey, Jack, stole a piece of the Aztec gold, rendering him cursed. It is unknown if the monkey ever could lift his curse.
Disappearance
- "Captain, I think the crew—meaning me as well—were expecting something a bit more...shiny. What with the Isla de Muerta going all pear-shaped, to be reclaimed by the sea and the treasure with it."
- ―Joshamee Gibbs to Jack Sparrow
The legend of the chest of Cortés was finally ended when Isla de Muerta was claimed by the sea, effectively wiping it and its treasure from the face of the Earth.[5]
Behind the scenes
The stone chest in the POTC ride.
- The cursed Treasure of Cortés was based on the talk of cursed treasure from the original ride, particularly from the line, "Who knows when that evil curse will strike the greedy beholders of this bewitched treasure." In the 2006 revamp of the ride, the stone chest from The Curse of the Black Pearl would appear in the treasure-filled caves of Dead Man's Cove.
- In Dead Man's Chest, Lord Cutler Beckett mentions the Chest when Elizabeth warns him that looking for it would only lead to his demise, to which Beckett replies that his "desires are not so provincial" and that "There's more than one chest of value in these waters". This implies that Beckett had knowledge of the ongoings in the past year between Barbossa and Jack. What Beckett actually desired was the Dead Man's Chest.
- A chest similar to the stone chest of Cortés can be seen on Devil's Anvil in Pirates of the Caribbean Online.
- The nature of the cursed coins were actually further explained in the non-canon Kingdom Hearts II. Luxord explains that darkness of men's hearts is drawn to the medallions, which he is able to use to create a "Grim Reaper" Heartless from. The Heartless created from the curse had the ability to curse those who had no contact with the medallions.
Appearances
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm (Indirect mention only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow: The Sword of Cortés (Indirect mention only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom (Mentioned only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Mentioned only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (ride) (post-2006 revamp at Disneyland) (Non-canonical appearance)
- Kingdom Hearts II (Non-canonical appearance)