The Pirate Treasures of Meanguera Island

Long ago, Sir Francis Drake hid many of his treasures around the new Indies. One of these places was Meanguera Island. A place where he buried some of his finest treasures.

Meanguera Island was a unique place for Sir France because it was considered a mystical land and had been inhabited long before the Spanish conquest, mainly by the Lenca and the Potones. In the year 1522, they discovered it in the expedition of Andrés Niño. Under the jurisdiction of Gil Gonzales de Dávila. He named this sector Petronila to honor Burgos bishop’s niece, who possessed the title of President of the Council of Indies, Fray Juan Rodrigo de Fonseca. Hence the current name of the Gulf of Fonseca.

One day, the Spaniards discovered that Sir Francis had heard the rumors that Sir Francis had hidden some unique treasures while he was circumnavigating the Earth and stole all gold and gemstones from Meanguera, Tecapa, and Conchaguita. He was extremely greedy and thought he would return one day to collect them.

Years later, a Mayor of La Union issued a no inhabiting law in Meanguera and started the operation “El Draque.” He was sure this was the perfect time to recover all gold, diamonds, and gemstones Sir Drake had left there.

The operation “El Draque” needed to be extremely careful because all these islands in the Gulf of Fonseca had been a mighty dominion of French and English pirates for decades. They had used it for years as their anchor to supply their ships and their crews.

When the city hall workers arrived, they noticed something suspicious because there was no trace of anything. They spent months in this search, digging holes around the island, trying to find a map, a bottle of anything that could give them a hint, but they found nothing.

One day in the early 1600s, a new crew had arrived from Spain on Meanguera Island. One of the Spaniards was near the volcano and decided the appreciate the impressive view of the Church of Saint Anne of Teak. He was excited because of this amazing piece of art. It was built in the 16th century by friars of the Order of Saint Francis.

Suddenly, the Spaniard heard a whistle and saw a shadow moving into a cave he had never seen in the volcano. He walked carefully and saw the shiny treasure (figure 1)! He marked an X on the sand to don’t forget the place and ran to find his captain. He told him that he had found a pirate treasure!

The captain was excited because, after several months of unlucky experiences at sea, they had found something valuable that would pay off! Unfortunately, they never found either the X or the cave again. After a couple of weeks of intense work, they left the island forever.

Figure 1. Sir Francis Drake’s Treasure. ¹

Many people over the years claim to have heard a whistle, and then, have seen a shadow that moves strangely. The boldest ones have followed it. After a couple of minutes, they can see a shiny treasure that vanishes in their eyes as soon as they try to reach it! No one has ever recovered a single penny from this treasure, and there is no map or notes of how or why Sir Drake left any treasure there. Maybe you will be the lucky one and will recover it!

Credits:
¹ Caveman.
Location: Meanguera, El Salvador

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