South Sea mariner
Sr. Member
Hola Amigos
Here is an interesting yarn.
there is persistent belief on some of the atolls that the Spanish visited the islands long before the French British, Dutch. stange tales of armour suited men arriving strange cannoes arrives at some island erecting stance symbol on the islands they landed on.
There seems a long history of Spanish exploration in the eastern Pacific.
The first recorded European who arrived at Amanu Atoll was Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández de Quirós who navigated for Spain, on 12 February 1606, while sailing across the Pacific Ocean in search of Terra Australis. However, several 16th-century Spanish cannons were found on Amanu in 1929, indicating that an earlier Spanish expedition had visited Tuamotu. Some historians notably Robert Adrian Langdon believe the cannons belonged to the caravel San Lesmes, which was split off from the Loaísa expedition which sailed the Pacific Ocean in 1526. But no wreck has been found only some cannons if they was jettisoned.
So perhaps the "San Lesmes" was wecked elsewhere? The Island of Makatea has strange story that long ago a Spanish ship was wrecked against it reef. A many items was salvaged by the local natives of this strange shipwreck. Including the soul survivor of the shipwreck allegedly the captains daughter about 16-17. Alone washed ashore on strange island with native Polynesians living there who at the time had never encountered outsiders. This strange young women survived and became a sort of goddess to them. Worshiped her and the strange artifact a cross she worshiped and treasures brought ashore from the Shipwreck.
She was called the Makatea island Princess. Well rescue never came but she had totally changed the islanders society and religion. She had items and alleged treasures from the shipwreck and lived quite comfortable in her island kingdom marrying the chiefs son. When she died she was buried in a wooden coffin and had a christian burial as well as her baptized husband and even later some of her children. By the next few generations the practice died out.
For many it appears it was just all a silly legend. But perhaps thee was grain of truth in the story.
In the earlier part of the 20th century the the island of Makatea was mined for phosphate.
In the course of operation they came across a cave with 5 wooden coffins. With bones in them .One was of a female. But this was in an era of little archeological interest on island where people was more interested in mining phosphate. However a photograph was taken of the coffins at the time.
What is also interesting that when the first missionaries came to convert the Islanders to Christianity in the mid 19th century, they discovered the islanders already practicing Christianity but merged with their local beliefs.. The story of Spanish Princess was dismissed by Evangelical missionaries as mere superstition.
So what became of the bones in the 5 wooden coffins found in the ceremonial cave on the island? What became of the alleged treasure that came with the ship so many years ago? Is it still buried or hidden in cave somewhere or has it been removed by some lucky finder?
Mal
Here is an interesting yarn.
there is persistent belief on some of the atolls that the Spanish visited the islands long before the French British, Dutch. stange tales of armour suited men arriving strange cannoes arrives at some island erecting stance symbol on the islands they landed on.
There seems a long history of Spanish exploration in the eastern Pacific.
The first recorded European who arrived at Amanu Atoll was Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernández de Quirós who navigated for Spain, on 12 February 1606, while sailing across the Pacific Ocean in search of Terra Australis. However, several 16th-century Spanish cannons were found on Amanu in 1929, indicating that an earlier Spanish expedition had visited Tuamotu. Some historians notably Robert Adrian Langdon believe the cannons belonged to the caravel San Lesmes, which was split off from the Loaísa expedition which sailed the Pacific Ocean in 1526. But no wreck has been found only some cannons if they was jettisoned.
So perhaps the "San Lesmes" was wecked elsewhere? The Island of Makatea has strange story that long ago a Spanish ship was wrecked against it reef. A many items was salvaged by the local natives of this strange shipwreck. Including the soul survivor of the shipwreck allegedly the captains daughter about 16-17. Alone washed ashore on strange island with native Polynesians living there who at the time had never encountered outsiders. This strange young women survived and became a sort of goddess to them. Worshiped her and the strange artifact a cross she worshiped and treasures brought ashore from the Shipwreck.
She was called the Makatea island Princess. Well rescue never came but she had totally changed the islanders society and religion. She had items and alleged treasures from the shipwreck and lived quite comfortable in her island kingdom marrying the chiefs son. When she died she was buried in a wooden coffin and had a christian burial as well as her baptized husband and even later some of her children. By the next few generations the practice died out.
For many it appears it was just all a silly legend. But perhaps thee was grain of truth in the story.
In the earlier part of the 20th century the the island of Makatea was mined for phosphate.
In the course of operation they came across a cave with 5 wooden coffins. With bones in them .One was of a female. But this was in an era of little archeological interest on island where people was more interested in mining phosphate. However a photograph was taken of the coffins at the time.
What is also interesting that when the first missionaries came to convert the Islanders to Christianity in the mid 19th century, they discovered the islanders already practicing Christianity but merged with their local beliefs.. The story of Spanish Princess was dismissed by Evangelical missionaries as mere superstition.
So what became of the bones in the 5 wooden coffins found in the ceremonial cave on the island? What became of the alleged treasure that came with the ship so many years ago? Is it still buried or hidden in cave somewhere or has it been removed by some lucky finder?
Mal
