On Saturday, February 10, the residents of Playa Grande, in Talamanca, were greatly surprised when they realized that the sea had brought the remains of a ship to the beach.
Some began to say that they were from a galleon, others that it was a pirate ship, and the jokers pointed out that if pieces of the ship had already come out, the treasure would be behind it.
The specialists from the Community Diving Center Ambassadors of the Sea suspect that the vessel was built in 1936 and stopped sailing in 1954 when it sank in Honduran waters while heading towards Cuba. However, there were those who said, without sufficient information, that the pieces of wood are from a five-century-old ship.
As the discovery put the famous and feared pirates on many lips, we sought out historian Ronald Castro, who answered our questions about their presence in the country’s history and how they almost left Costa Rica in ruins.
-When did pirates start arriving in Costa Rica?
In 1577, the first pirate attack on a ship in Costa Rica was recorded; it took place at the mouth of the San Juan River. However, it can be thought that they arrived much earlier.
-At that time, what did they take from that ship?
They took all the cargo that was there, which belonged to the new governor of Costa Rica, Diego Artieda de Chirinos (Spanish). The pirates took the furnishings from his house in Spain, which he had brought to install here, they also took the money he was carrying, clothes, and various funds that the Spaniards had allocated for works in Cartago.
-Where did they come from?
Mainly, they were British who dedicated themselves to robbing Spanish vessels and intruding into their territories.
-Why did they come here?
This (territory) at first was not a destination for them, they only came to see which ship they could attack, they also came to steal leather, meat, and fruits.
-Did it then become a destination for them?
Yes, in fact, they wanted to reach Cartago to gain control because that was the most important place in Costa Rica at that time. Here they realized that there was plenty of water and wood to build ships.
-Was there a specific place where they stayed?
The one known is Matina, where they stayed on their ships before setting sail to Jamaica, Haiti, or San Andrés (Colombia), which was where they had a kind of base of operations.
-Did they kill people while they were here?
Suddenly yes, although the records show that they arrived and destroyed several places, like Matina and Esparza, where they destroyed everything except the churches.
-Did they rape women during those destructions they carried out?
History tells that they were violent people, but they respected women. The ones who were with them were because they wanted to be.
-One might think that at that time there was prostitution…
Yes, there was, especially because the pirates spent a lot of time without female company.
-At that time, what did Costa Rica do to repel the attacks?
Very little was done because we were a place very neglected by the Spaniards, so there were no weapons.
-Which famous pirates were here?
Francis Drake (British) was here, and that’s why Drake Bay (part of the Osa canton) is named after him, because it was the first place where he carried out a raid, targeting a merchant ship bound for Panama in 1579.
William Thompson was also there, who stole a shipment of gold in Peru in 1820, which is what everyone says is on Cocos Island, and Henry Morgan was also there, who was the governor of Jamaica.
– Is the treasure story real?
That’s what the story says, the truth of the matter is that after that there were many expeditions to find the treasure.
-Is this the only treasure on Cocos Island?
There could have been more because it was a very busy area and a good hiding place, but these are just theories.
-What did the pirates who came to the country eat?
On their journeys, they ate fish with lemon or orange, which is where ceviche comes from. Once on land, they fed on meat, grains, and fruits.
-Did they get sick a lot?
Yes, they got scurvy, which caused anemia and weakness, many died because of it, and when they passed away, their bodies were thrown into the sea. (Scurvy was caused by the absence of vitamin C, producing ulcers in the gums, hemorrhages, and death).
-If there was a betrayal among them, how was it resolved?
In some cases, they were tied up and thrown into the sea to be eaten by sharks or drowned; they were also shot.
-How long did it take to travel from Europe to here?
They never came directly; they left from England and went straight to Cuba, Jamaica, or Haiti, and from there they made their plundering routes, but it was roughly a month and a half (45 days).
-With so many pirates, didn’t the indigenous people of the time defend themselves?
In 1666, a group of pirates led by Henry Morgan was repelled by several Carthaginians. It is said that the Carthaginians did nothing and that rather a pirate saw the Virgin of Ujarrás and they decided to flee. The pirates’ objective was to reach Cartago to loot the place and take control.
-That is to say, the virgin helped prevent them from arriving…
The people had a lot of faith and were quite devout, even this virgin was known as the first patroness of the country.
-Were there more violent events with pirates?
The indigenous people of Nicoya defended themselves in 1684 and did not let them in; several pirates even died because the natives had bows and arrows that could hit someone 150 meters away. In contrast, the weapons the pirates had only caused harm if fired from close range.
-Did any of them stay and live in the country?
No, they came to work, but there is a record of children with red or blonde hair, meaning they had children here.
-When did they stop coming?
After the independence (1821), Braulio Carrillo told them, “no gentlemen, this is where we stop.”
