Chest of Cortés
From PotC Wiki
- "This is Aztec gold. One of 882 identical pieces 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, and so the heathen gods placed upon the chest a terrible curse…"
- ―Hector Barbossa to Elizabeth Swann[src]
This stone chest was a treasure chest created by the Aztec Empire. It contained 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold, placed inside the chest as blood money paid to the conquistador Hernán Cortés, in an attempt to appease him and stop his slaughter of the Aztec people.
[edit] History
Cortés accepted the payment, but refused to halt his conquest. In response, the heathen gods placed a terrible curse upon the chest, 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 light of the moon, 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 the many legends in the Caribbean; Tia Dalma appeared to have been aware of its existence, and gave a veiled warning to a young Captain Jack Sparrow that he would one day become involved with this legend.[3]
Indeed, in his adult life Jack 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]
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]
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]
[edit] Behind the scenes
- 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.
[edit] Appearances
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow 1: The Coming Storm (Indirect mention only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow 4: The Sword of Cortés (Indirect mention only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Mentioned only)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (ride) (Disneyland)
- Kingdom Hearts II (Non-canonical appearance)
