Spanish Cob 1 real (Santa Maria de La Consolacion)

Spanish Cob 1 real, recovered from the Santa Maria de La Consolacion

"She was heavily loaded with silver coins intended for Panama. Soon after leaving port she was pursued by two pirate ships commanded by the famous pirate Bartholomew Sharpe. To save the treasure from the pirates, the Spanish captain ran the ship aground on the rocks of Isle de Muerto (Island of Death), Ecuador in July of 1681. The Spanish then burned the ship, depriving the pirates of the valuable treasure. Enraged, the pirates landed and slaughtered 140 Spanish survivors."

"The Spanish treasure ship Santa Maria de la Consolocion left Callao, Chile in 1681, bound for Panama, where her precious cargo that was to be transported across the isthmus and then shipped onto Spain. Because of a delay in getting its silver coins from the mint in Potosi, Bolivia, she was forced to sail alone, after the rest of the South Sea Armada had departed. The lone galleon was soon attacked by a fleet of six British pirate ships. The captain attempted to defend his precious cargo by landing his ship on a small island named Isla de Muerto (Island of the Dead) in the Bay of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The vessel accidentally hit a reef and began to sink. To prevent the treasure from falling into the hands of the pirates, the captain set the ship afire. The pirates, furious that the ship had been burned, captured and beheaded the estimated 350 passengers and crew of the ship. Neither the pirates, nor the returning Spaniards were able to recover the treasure from the shark infested waters. "