The lost fortune of the Revillagigedo Fund

[Crow]

Hello All Here is that other Biggie it will do fisherman proud.... Big ... Bigger... But who knows some times truth is stranger than fiction. Mexico as many writers have said, abounds in tales of buried Measure. Don Amigo is one such treasure! One such treasure legend tales, is connected with Baja California and on the coast of Sonora on the sea of Cortez, now the gulf of California, The treasure legend has its origins from Mexican sources. In 1792. Captain Coiner, an English fur trader, cruising up, and down, the Pacific coast, was seized, with his ship, it the port of Nootka, in Vancouver by the Spanish authorities, thence to Mexico. He was treated with such courtesy by Revillagigedo. that in the year after his release, 1793, he named the group of islands off the coast of Baja California after the viceroy. I should give the mans full name but it is a mouth full... Juan Vicente de Guemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo 2nd Count of revillagigedo. On one of these islands there is a story of an alleged hidden treasure recalled by the members of an old Spanish American family. The great Spanish navigator. Fernando de Orijalva. discovered the group in 1523, but only bestowed the name of Saint Thomas upon the main island. Other explorers have named the same island Socorro, The Spanish government at the time tried to establish a colony on the Revillagigedo island group of islands, but failed on account of the lack of water.Hence they pretty much remain deserted desert islands. When the viceroy heard that the group of islands had been named in his honor sent his secretary to examine them. This gentleman was a Castillan of pure-blood, a nephew of the duke of Albuquerque, and very loyal to the viceroy, whom indeed he had traded secret thoughts of being the king of New Spain, free of the tyranny of the king of old Spain. The secretary of vice royalty of New Spain made a trip there and discovered old Lava tubes and saw the potential for them being depositories of treasure siphoned off from the Spanish Crown to be used in a future country of Mexico free of the Spanish yoke. Even in the late 18th century there was many in Mexico beginning to question their Loyalties to Spain. Even the high ranking secretary to the most powerful man in in New Spain the Spanish Vice Royalty himself had saw the need to liberalise the region away from its masters in Spain. But this was hardly a plot at first: it was only a possibility, or which the secretaries support for the great viceroy prompted him to make ready if an opportunity and began to siphon of over several years large amounts of treasure from various locations from all over Mexico. The viceroy was a man of such vast plans, and had such absolute confidence in his secretary. It was possible to gather up millions of dollars from the sea and the land, without being called to account for it until the time came for the revelation. The surplus of Mexican revenue was still Original in its magnificence. The secretary made a secret treaty with Yaqui Indians, who had been hard pressed by the Spanish troops and were ready to make a peace deal. He knew more about The Yaqui chief than even the viceroy had ever known.It was believed and respected that the Yaqui Indians were Braver than any other Indians and more intelligent, the Yaqui tribes would rather die than let a Spaniard hovel the secret of their mines. The great chief of all the Yaquri tribes had traveled over Mexico with the dreams of driving out the Spanish for good and never had dreamed in his wildest imagination that several members of the government, of the Spaniards themselves wished to help in this revolution. Don Jose our lovable mule driver treasure hunter of Yaqri may know more of this history. The secretary won his confidence of this Yaqui chief and made a treaty with the Yaqui nations. Than plan was to mass vast gold reserves and all the treasure they could think of without being detected in secrets.vast amounts of gold through trade. Mines churches and Yaqui themselves gave the Secretary the location of a secret place, a lagoon on the coast of Sonora where thousand of gold nuggets could be picked up in a shallow lagoon.Plus a brother of the secretary equal with such passion had interests in major Perl fisheries collected the gems by the thousands for the cause... The conspirators with a select group of men began the process of stock piling the great lava tube caverns with an immense treasure. It was claimed on the Island of Saint Thomas by the unselfish conspirators, who dreamed of the freedom of Mexico so year before the revolution finally did take place. The revolution eventually began in about 1811. But it was not the last, for his position enabled him to have the pearl revenues of the gulf and the silver revenues of the gulf, and the silver revenues of Chihuahua. So corrupt were so many branches of the government at that time, so open bribery so often used to falsify reports and the disappearance of large sums of money, that the secretary at the expense of a rather worse reputation than the average politician of his time, was enabled to add millions of dollars every year to the Viceroys unknown treasury. He sent pearls, sapphires and opals', bars of silver and gold, jewel encrusted swords and pistols and many a precious heirloom of ancient Spanish families. Four or live men kept the secret of the the great treasure. The secretary of the viceroy had changed in a few years from a Idealistic dreamer to a man of action and a master of events. At last he knew that a great destiny had come finally before the land of New Spain. Once separated from the mother country it should extend from the Isthmus' of Darien to the Liussian fur settlement of Sitka. It the viceroy should lead in the revolution he should rule till the day of his death, but if the viceroy could not rise to the situation he must be set aside. There were other men in the world, even he himself, the secretary. But on the Eve of this great revolution the secretary was stricken with a stroke and he could neither speak nor move. The Viceroy, already on the eve of his fatal recall, hastened to his side. So strange and powerful was the look in the eyes of the man that his master Sat for hours trying to discover the secret that they tried to tell. "You have something to tell me.' "Yes! yes!" said the agonized look. ''Is it the revenues?" the viceroy asked at last? "Yes! yes!" said the look of the secretary. "My good friend, all that you have taken from Mexico gives to you and asks no further questions. All the viceroy could under stand was a great treasure had indeed been accumulated in indeed for the liberation of Mexico. The executors of the secretaries will found nothing for many years. At last among the secretary's papers, a bit of parchment; turned up. headed in the late secretaries precise penmanship.... "The Revillagigedo fund" Then followed, item for item, as follows: "The Revillagigedo Fund" Estimate.! value of Yaqui gold.. 78000000 Value of pearls and precious stones 15000000 Value of silver Bars s 24000000 Value of other articles contributed to the fund 2000000 Total $119000000 That my friends is of at least 1899 values the mind boggles what the true value would be today? The former Revillagigedo family were of old Spain, now living in poverty on the memory of former greatness!. The viceroy was a feeble old man, who had lost ail his ambitions. The secretary's descendants and his executors became almost frenzied with the lure of gold, and they it is who accumulated the gradual narrative which, in a dozen or so hand written letters has now become the "family romance" of one of the most noted of Spanish Californians. But by the time that the story was gathered from so many sources, and by so many Mosaic hints, all the men who helped to hide the "Revillagigedo Fund were dead ,this one by shipwreck, that one in a low brawl another in a Mexican "fonda," another the victim of an Apache raid. All who where directly involved were gone long before the searchers for the Revillagigedo fund knew where it lay in the rocky islands off the coast of Baja California. The revolution broke ,up the families that knew the story, rendered them penniless, and made the immediate bread-and-butter demands of life more pressing. They had no time to think of the forgotten politician's vast treasure cache in the lava caves of the isle of Saint Thomas. A few of them sneaked over to the islands once or twice, in a half-hearted way, as fishermen or traders, but they found no treasure. Not thus lightly dirt that thief-hero, the patient secretary, hide the viceregal funds for the equipment of fleets and the arming of soldiers. Only a man that is- as great as lie in the elements of foresight and durance shall cleave the way to the Revillagigedo storehouse. The California representative of this old Spanish family once planned to fit out an expedition to the island. But the American conquest of the province brought him to poverty, and he was never able to carry out the scheme. He preferred to sit in a wine shop and talk with his old companions of the days before the "Gringo-" came. His old ambitions were dead, and he had no descendants. He kept the manuscript that relates to the Revillagigedo treasure fund. He kept every written scrap of paper that has ever come into his possession and none of them ever went out of his hands. But if a man had won his favor he would sometimes read to him some of his documents. And it was in this way the story of the viceroy and his secretary and great hidden treasure came to the knowledge of reporter who wrote the original newspaper story in 1899. Crow

 

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[Crow]

I should add over the years there has been confusion over which Island was actually first called St Thomas. Various countries mixed up the identities of St Thomas with the other islands of the group that make up Revillagigedo archipelago.

Suprising for some but not for me after sailing around the Pacific many times many of the islands have 6 or 7 names as various counties called them their own names on the charts and if they were inhabited the local natives had their own name. And to complicate things further missions misinterpreted spoken name also.

This fact you might see the later the importance of.

Crow

 

[cayuse]

Wow! Crow, Thanks for posting this. I sure love your stories.

Have you ever considered writing a book?

Thanks again and please keep them coming.

Cayuse

 

[Crow]

Hello Cayuse

Thanks for compliment. Its always a pleasure in reading people getting pleasure from these stories as much as I have. As for a book? Not to say I do not love books but..... I rather tell them in the spirit as they are told here..As a yarn from a drunk at a bar trying to remember the best of his years..

Some times its the informal spontaneous yarns that ya encounter with the chance to comment on? Is much more lively than just the one way some times wooden presentation we see in such books.

Crow

 

[Salvor6]

Crow you have to write you're book or else the knowledge of all this treasure will be lost. It will be on the best sellers list!

 

[Crow]

Hello Salvor6

Thanks for the compliment. Yeah I thought of book once but these days the idea for me for now is out of fashion. been a month onshore and itching to go to sea again....

As I have the urge to travel again.... An opportunity to sail a tall ship as Bosun again...When the drumbeat was in Tahiti few months ago we got friendly with crew of Picton Castle she is registered these days out of the cook islands. Since I have been back on shore the lure of sea is calling me back...Everyone should at least sail once in their lives experience this... Once you have it changes you and ya never see the world with the same eyes again.

The Picton castle in Suva Fiji at present. The owner of the ship is planing a 10 month round the world voyage back to United states for a tall ship race next year. Sailing back to her North American home in Lunenburg by way of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Bali, Reunion, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, St. Helena, Senegal, Cape Verde, and the islands of the Eastern Caribbean.

She is still in Suva at present. One of crew asked me via email if I want to sign on as Bosun. kanacki emailed me his considering buying a schooner in Thailand sailing across South china sea though celebes sea and the Sulu sea to Micronesia.



Only trouble I have to get out of this hospital......Monday hopefully... Other wise I will climb out the window of a rope made of bedsheets..

These treasure legends Salvor6 will still be here long after I am long gone my friend... Ya just have to have the hunger. you will find em if you will seek.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Ah discharged in an hour. When I was A young man I thought I was bullet proof.. Now as the years have slipped by I learn't every moment is as precious as any treasure my friend.

So I will Finnish the yarn.. In fact I do think Do Jose would have some thing to add about legends of Yaqui gold some where in a shallow lagoon or lake near the sea of Cortez ??

The history of the revillagigedo island group is complex. As over the centuries the names of such islands have been mixed up.

Hernando de Grijalva and his crew discovered an uninhabited island on December 28, 1533, and named it Isla de los Inocentes, only nine days after the discovery of Santo Tomé island. The description and location may correspond to that of the island now called San Benidicto. Picture of him below.





In 1542,Ruy Lopez De Villalobos while exploring new routes across the Pacific, rediscovered Inocentes and changed its name to Anublada meaning ("Cloudy").

In 1608, Martín Yañez de Armida, in charge of another expedition, visited Anublada and changed its name to Socorro.



The other two islands were discovered in 1779 by José Camacho. He named the small rocky islet in the middle of the Archipelago Roca Partida ("Broken Rock"), and the westernmost island Santa Rosa ("Saint Rose"). Santa Rosa was later renamed Clarion after the vessel commanded by Henry Gyzelaar at that time.




Santo Tomás is called San Benedicto ("Saint Benedict") today.



In the 1899 newspaper account of the treasure legend. The Description of the island mentioned St Thomas (Santa Tomas ) was more fitting to present day Socorro?

But perhaps there is more to obtained from the original newspaper story?

To be continued.....

Crow

 

[H-2 CHARLIE]

Cool but i dont want to support the mexican economy. I enjoy the tells and lore very cool .

 

[Oroblanco]

Cool but i dont want to support the mexican economy. I enjoy the tells and lore very cool .

Have to respectfully disagree on that point, if I found a treasure in Mexico, I would very probably spend a good sized hunk in Mexico; we are lucky to have friendly neighbors in Mexico and Canada compared with some places and both are beautiful countries. But I agree please do continue!
Oroblanco

 

[Crow]

Have to respectfully disagree on that point, if I found a treasure in Mexico, I would very probably spend a good sized hunk in Mexico; we are lucky to have friendly neighbors in Mexico and Canada compared with some places and both are beautiful countries. But I agree please do continue!
Oroblanco

Your welcome Oro I just need you pry open that tight lipped Mexican south of the border about the Yaqui in which that knowledge Mule trainer is an expert. Must entice him with your famous sock Coffee and Mackydon's Kahlua nip?

H2 Charlie Me being in keeping to the tropical tramp code would sell my ass to devil for a percentage of this treasure. And perhaps get a better deal than some of the governments around. I have been told he has space for me down there. Yea I know I'm going to hell I will be joining all the politicians, Lawyers and CEO of large corporations. Hell needs some one to keep those bast... on their toes

But is there really a treasure or just a bit of creative fiction written in 1899? Thus we need to did a little deeper...Thus weed out facts from the fiction?







To be continued....

crow

 

[Crow]

Okay...Here is more.






Crow

 

[doc-d]

Senor Cuervo, AKA Crow………..you liberated from the hospital yet? How many of those much needed nurses going home with you to ensure your recovery?
Interesting story and great insight into the veracity of the newspapers with respect to the years…….
Much remains to be discovered still, and this is just from what we know…………how many treasures have been forgotten…….
Vaya con Dios, may God grant unto health and strength so you may continue with your avian tales that so entertain us…….

 

[Crow]

Yes senior amigo. Thanks for the thumbs up.

This old crow squawks minus a few feathers for another day, I think the Nurses was glad to see the back of this old pirate. When I had bought of fever as the poison passed through I had few bizarre hallucinations. Then wake up clear as bell then lapse back into with violent head aches could not hold food down either way and incredible itching inside the ear drum, Hot and cold are sensations all screwed up. Doctors reckon Alcohol and nuts can cause it to reoccur....We will see.

Finally got out today. I hope I never get Ciguatera poisoning again. via a infection of cutting my head open on coral. Just another battle scar on a long life. got 2 inch scar on my forehead just above the eye back to ear the infection partial split the eye lid. Doc said how did get Ciguatera poisoning without eating contaminated fish? Easy I said when my face slid over a coral reef when thrown from an overturned boat.In area prone for it, weed coral and fish and encrustations that feed on it and covered in it.

As I think I posted somewhere about Newspapers they have their uses but each story has to be researched for merit and several other factors. This story is not dead yet but neither a ace in the hole either.

Crow

 

[cayuse]

Here's to you, Crow! May you have many wonderful years ahead of you filled with the adventures you most desire.

And keep those stories coming.

 

[gollum]

One day I might have to squeeze you guys to get access to Mr K's Private Library.

Mike

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

golly. you do and I'll spring the possible Yaqui connection. Incidentally, the reason the Yaqui fought so hard for his land is that according to the elders the land was given to them by GOD as a sorta trust

As far as the lagoons go, there are many versions, today they just fish for a living on the coast,

As for not disclosing to a Yori, they showed me 5 mines, but they can't be worked.

Do ya spose there is any connection between the Vicie's plans and the deposit at Tayopa? The documents stored inside may tell us many interesting things.

Enough for now, my eye hurts stretching / straining so much . See ya for coffee in the morning. ORO ?


Don Jose de La Mancha

P,S, nitey night, C row, smooch !!!!!! heheheeh

 

[lilorphanannie]

i guess i will play the devils advocate here for a moment. i know from mexican history about revillagigedo and the islands that carry his name. what raises flags in this story is my knowledge of yaqui history in this time period. the yaquis were not under any type of organization,they did have leaders but nothing formal, only in small groups. they were suffering from enslavement and there was disapora throughout. most male yaquis had migrated south to the ixtle plantations of the yucatan and they were the first to migrate to the usa. the yaquis never mined gold, but they knew of some rich arroyos where they would wash gold when they needed money, this work largely done by the women. the men were enslaved in some of the mines and there are records of strike and rebellion in several instances. the amount of gold reported in this story if one can make calculations with any degree of accuracy for that time period ,would exceed total national production, it just doesnt add up. also there is no record of yaqui attacks on conductas and the camino real did not run through yaqui territory. lastly there are no precious gems in the whole country of mexico, no diamonds ,no rubies ,sapphiries or emeralds. so where did these precious gems come from? the yaquis were secretative yes and indominitable.they were also living in abject poverty. in their oral history there is mention of two small treasure hoards. in fact they are currently offering one of these treasure stashes for sale ,for 3 million dollars. the problem is that the value of the gold in that stash is currently worth about two million dollars. they've been trying to sell it for about 15 years now. i dont doubt that there is some substance to the story ,i just cant fathom the yaquis as i know them and history represents them to come into posession of this kind of wealth and to enter a treaty with anyone.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

side thingie, those Ialands are the birth place of the Coastal Pacific hurricanes. There should be plenty of catch basins of water.

Author of 'Jesuit Gold: A Treasure Hunter's Guide to Tayopa'.

Jesuit Gold relates the story behind the greatest undiscovered treasue of the American Southwest and northern Mexico. The treasure consisting of gold and silver bullion, tons of ore, religious and historial relics and precious stones was lost in 1646. For more than 350 years it has remained hidden; though many have searched for it, and many have died for it.

The setting for the adventures recounted is as fabulous as the reputed wealth at Tayopa - the awesome and forbidding Sierra Madre of Chinuahua and Sonora. The Sierra Madre are as wild and untamed, isolated, violent and treacherous as ever they were when the Apache and Yaqui tried to drive the hated Spaniards back into the sea, and from which Pancho Villa and his Dorados launched their bloody swathe across the history of Mexico. The inner-most recesses conceal ancient cities, mysterious rock carvings and paintings, and abandoned mines and missions still haunted by the screams of the enslaved Pimas and Opatas whose destiny it was to wrought the metals of the Sun and Moon from deep within the womb of the Mother Mountains.

 

[Crow]

Don Jose

The must be a bit of orish poet coming out in ya.

Your question Do ya spose there is any connection between the Vicie's plans and the deposit at Tayopa? The documents stored inside may tell us many interesting things? Is good question.

That question crossed my mind also. However And the term "Revillagigedo Fund" I found interesting I just do not have evidence to credit or discredit it


Lillorphannie you made some excellent observations and comments. No need apologizing for being devils advocate. Your are correct We do have some bold statements coming from the newspaper story, many quoted in fact unsubstantiated. For this time frame of this alleged burial of treasure I cannot find evidence of any said agreement. That said I have not found information as yet.

The problem of our newspaper story we have here it relies heavily on a single source from an alleged a descendant of the Secretary for revillagigedo who we do not even know his name?

It is indeed some valid points with such newspaper stories...

Its neither black or white with these newspapers but usually somewhere in between. Generally I find in older newspaper accounts more of genuine attempt to report the facts. After the 1870 the quality of so many newspapers with accuracy in reporting declined due to market forces such as greater competition that drove pressure on sales...The more dramatic the story the more readers. .And tabloid journalism thus evolved in which many of writers would hear parts of story and add their own to sexed up version of the story to their newspapers. That should also be noted that there was a slight difference in time frame as Tabloids evolved in English speaking countries. As the telegraph transcribed information Tabloid style of journalism traveled down the wires. Definitely it evolved first in America as the newspaper industry was the most evolving and dynamic. As I have said newspapers do have their uses by verifying the established facts from newspapers by various other sources help build a better picture of what was going on at the time.

However by 1899 many newspapers were well and truly tabloid. I have to agree in part much has been exaggerated. The red flag for me is most importance source of information is the name of the Secretary working. As for the figgures are they quoted in 1792 figures or 1899 figures. Even in 1899 figures it is still as lot of moola. If the story was true of course.

And of the gems? Such as rubies and diamonds. that could of been accumulated over time via contraband traveling on the Manila galleons from china and India via the Philippines. Some times what was on the ships manifest and what was actually being shipped was stagggereing some times the unofficial treasure being smuggled through corruption was larger than the official shipments of treasure?

Crow

 

[: Michael-Robert.]

Manila galleons from china and India via the Philippines, Now thats another long story! Many sunken ones around still to be found>

Don Jose

The must be a bit of orish poet coming out in ya.

Your question Do ya spose there is any connection between the Vicie's plans and the deposit at Tayopa? The documents stored inside may tell us many interesting things? Is good question.

That question crossed my mind also. However And the term "Revillagigedo Fund" I found interesting I just do not have evidence to credit or discredit it


Lillorphannie you made some excellent observations and comments. No need apologizing for being devils advocate. Your are correct We do have some bold statements coming from the newspaper story, many quoted in fact unsubstantiated. For this time frame of this alleged burial of treasure I cannot find evidence of any said agreement. That said I have not found information as yet.

The problem of our newspaper story we have here it relies heavily on a single source from an alleged a descendant of the Secretary for revillagigedo who we do not even know his name?

It is indeed some valid points with such newspaper stories...

Its neither black or white with these newspapers but usually somewhere in between. Generally I find in older newspaper accounts more of genuine attempt to report the facts. After the 1870 the quality of so many newspapers with accuracy in reporting declined due to market forces such as greater competition that drove pressure on sales...The more dramatic the story the more readers. .And tabloid journalism thus evolved in which many of writers would hear parts of story and add their own to sexed up version of the story to their newspapers. That should also be noted that there was a slight difference in time frame as Tabloids evolved in English speaking countries. As the telegraph transcribed information Tabloid style of journalism traveled down the wires. Definitely it evolved first in America as the newspaper industry was the most evolving and dynamic. As I have said newspapers do have their uses by verifying the established facts from newspapers by various other sources help build a better picture of what was going on at the time.

However by 1899 many newspapers were well and truly tabloid. I have to agree in part much has been exaggerated. The red flag for me is most importance source of information is the name of the Secretary working. As for the figgures are they quoted in 1792 figures or 1899 figures. Even in 1899 figures it is still as lot of moola. If the story was true of course.

And of the gems? Such as rubies and diamonds. that could of been accumulated over time via contraband traveling on the Manila galleons from china and India via the Philippines. Some times what was on the ships manifest and what was actually being shipped was stagggereing some times the unofficial treasure being smuggled through corruption was larger than the official shipments of treasure?

Crow