Origin of name
The "Isabella Emerald" gets its name from Queen Isabella of Portugal, the
queen consort of King Charles V (1516 to 1556), the Holy Roman Emperor, the King of
Spain, and Archduke of Austria, who inherited a vast empire extending across
Europe, from Spain and the Netherlands to Austria and the Kingdom of Naples,
and also the overseas territories of Spanish America. Queen Isabella coveted
the emerald and longed to possess it, after hearing glowing accounts of the
emerald from Hernan Cortez, in a letter written to her from Mexico.
The emerald known as the mystical "Emerald of Judgment" was presented to
Cortez, by Montezuma II, the King of the Aztec Kingdom, at the time Cortez
entered the city of Tenochtitlan with his troops on November 8, 1519. Hernan Cortez named the emerald in honor of Queen
Isabella, the Queen consort of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and the
King of Spain.
It is said that Cortez tried to use the emerald to entice the Queen, so that
she would use her influence on Charles V, to bestow on him the title of the
Governor of New Spain, and provide him with men, weapons and ships, to
capture the rest of the New World. But, Charles V was bankrupt due to
campaigns undertaken against England, France and Italy, and was unable to
help Cortez. He was however appointed as governor of New Spain, but Queen Isabella never acquired
the emerald which she coveted so much. Eventually, Cortez gifted the emerald
to his second wife, Dona Juana De Zuniga.
Characteristics of the Emerald
The "Queen Isabella Emerald" has gone down in the history of famous
gemstones, as an emerald that had to be discovered twice, once from its
natural habitat as a rough emerald, in one of the ancient mines in
Colombia, where it was formed millions of years ago in hydrothermal veins, pegmatites, or at the contact zones of large igneous intrusions, that
invaded aluminous schist, shale or impure limestone, and the second time
after it was lost when the ship carrying it to Spain from the New World,
sank in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere in the so-called "Bermuda Triangle." When Montezuma the king
of the Aztec empire, gifted the "Queen Isabella Emerald" to Cortez it was
already cut and polished, in the form of an ancient table-cut, oblong,
rectangular-shaped, somewhat flat gemstone, having a deep-green color
characteristic of emeralds originating from the ancient Muzo mines of
Colombia. Cortez in his letter to Queen Isabella, described the gemstone as
"a mystifying powerful emerald crystal so large that it would fill
the palm of her hand."
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A. D. Ventures Inc
The renowned emerald was lost in transit between Mexico and Spain in
1757, when the Spanish vessel that transported it, together with hundreds of
other chests containing emeralds, gold, and Aztec artifacts like jade death
masks, gold idols, crystal skulls and instruments of human sacrifice, caught
fire and sank, in the region what is now known as the Bermuda
triangle, about 12 miles offshore of the Florida coast, somewhere between
Sebastian and Cape Canaveral. The "Isabella Emerald" remained lost in the
seabed of the Atlantic Ocean for over 200 years until it was re-discovered
in the year 1992 by a team led by Victor Benilous, president of the
Archaeological Discovery Ventures, a company based in Palm Beach, Florida,
who in 1987 was credited with the discovery of the oldest shipwreck (1554)
in the western hemisphere.
The emerald has a weight of 964-carats, documented as perhaps the largest
gem-quality faceted emerald in the world, supported by a GIA certificate
testifying to its authenticity as a natural Colombian emerald, with good clarity
and transparency, and valued at over $ 20 million according to current
market estimates. This still appears to be an undervaluation when compared
to the price fetched by the 7.85-carat cushion-cut "Carolina Prince Emerald"
in 1999, which sold for a price of $ 500,000, working out to $ 63,694 per
carat. If we consider this as the yardstick to evaluate the "Isabella
Emerald" which being a Colombian emerald is undoubtedly of superior quality,
the estimated value of the "Isabella Emerald" should be around $61 million.
History of the Emerald
The great civilizations of pre-Columbian
America
The Olmec Civilization
Pre-Columbian America, before Christopher Columbus set foot on the New
World, was a cradle of great human civilizations equal in status or even
greater than the ancient civilizations of the Old World, such as the
Mesopotamian (6,000-600 BC) and ancient Egyptian (3,200-31 BC) civilizations of the Middle East or the Mohenjo-daro
(2,600-1,900 BC) or Harappa civilizations (3,300 -1,300 BC) of the Indus valley in India or the ancient Chinese
civilizations (7,000-6,000 BC). The Olmec civilization (1,400-400 BC) of Mesoamerica is one of the oldest
civilizations of pre-Columbian America, from which most subsequent
civilizations were subsequently derived. The word "Olmec" in the Nahuati
language spoken by the Aztecs, means "Rubber People", which signifies the
first civilization in the world that extracted natural rubber from the
rubber plant, and made use of them for certain purposes. Archeological
evidence supports the view that natural rubber was used by these people to
produce a rubber ball that was used by them for a popular ball game. Ball
courts, and even actual balls used for the game had been excavated by
archeologists, consolidating this view. The fact that the ancient Olmec had
enough time for leisure in a mundane world, at a time when acquiring food,
clothing and shelter was more critical for their survival, provides enough
evidence for the advanced nature of this civilization, that created large
cities where such basic needs of the people were easily met by agricultural
development. Increased agricultural production went hand in hand with the
development of non-farming activities, such as the arts, architecture,
construction engineering and commerce.
Marvels of architecture and construction engineering of this period include,
high-rise platforms, pyramids, altars, tombs, hydraulic works and drainage
systems that carried water into palace complexes for drinking and bathing,
filling decorative ponds and pools and for waste run-off. Cultural
achievements of this civilization include, the use of volcanic basalt, stone
and jade in sculpturing, that produced the renowned carved colossal heads,
as well as smaller artifacts and figurines such as the "Were Jaguar"; the
development of a vigesimal (base 20) numeral system, using bars and dots;
using zero in the numeral system long before mathematicians of the old world
recognized its importance; development of a calendar, counting time from a
specific and significant starting date, a concept that developed in the old
world much later; development of an early form of hieroglyphic writing
like the ancient Egyptians, which had 182 symbols with specific meanings;
development of a trading network with other parts of Mesoamerica, trading in
items such as jewelry, ceremonial masks, burial items, small figurines and
other artifacts, turned out of stone, emeralds, jade, serpentine and other
minerals, knives and arrow-points made of obsidian, and mirrors made of
polished iron-ore like haematite.
The Olmec civilization that lasted from around 1,400 to 400 BC, is
considered by archaeologists as the "mother civilization" of Mesoamerica,
from which all other subsequent civilizations such as the Maya, Zapotec,
Teotihuacan, Mixtec, Toltec
and Aztec were derived. The development of Mesoamerican civilizations is
divided by archaeologists into three major time periods, known as the
Pre-Classic (1,500 BC-300 AD), the Classic (300 AD-950 AD) and the
Post-Classic (950 AD-1521 AD).
1) Pre-Classic period (1,500 BC-300 AD) :-
The Olmec, Maya and Zapotec Civilizations
Civilizations of this
period include the Olmec (1,200 BC-400 BC), the Maya (1,000 BC to 1521 AD),
and the Zapotec (500 BC-1,000 AD). The Olmec civilization that began and
flourished during this period gradually declined and came to an end in 400
BC. The Maya civilization that began around 1,000 BC continued until the end
of this period, and further extends into the Classic and Post-Classic
periods. The Zapotec that began around 500 BC, continued until the end of
the Pre-Classic and moves into the Classic period. Prominent Olmec cities
include La Venta and San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan. Important early Maya cities
include Nakbe, El Mirador, San Bartolo, and Cival in the southern Maya
lowlands The Zapotec flourished in the valley of Oaxaca and their main city
center was Monte Alban.
2) Classic period (300 AD-950 AD) :-
The Maya Civilization
The Maya civilization continues
throughout the Classic period and subsequently enters the Post-Classic
Period. The southern Maya lowlands reach the peak of their development, with
large scale construction and urbanism, and significant intellectual and
artistic development, and also the recording of monumental inscriptions.
Prominent Mayan cities of this period include Tikal, Copan, Palenque and
Calakmul. However during the 8th and 9th centuries AD, the Mayan centers of
the southern lowlands went into decline and were abandoned thereafter,
caused by natural or man-made disasters.
The Zapotech Civilization
The Zapotec civilization also
continued throughout the Classic period, and by 700 AD, Monte Alban was the
capital of the Zapotec land, with a population of over 250,000 people.
During the late Classic period, after 900 AD, Monte Alban's influence
outside and inside the valley of Oaxaca, gradually began to decline.
The Teotihuacan Civilization
Another civilization that flourished during the Classic period but
unfortunately came to an end around 700 AD, was the Teotihuacan
civilization, which actually originated around 100-200 BC, in the
Pre-Classic period, soon after the decline and demise of the Olmec
civilization. The Teotihuacan civilization which arose in the valley of
Mexico, was centered around the city of Teotihuacan, and had a population of
over 100,000 people during the peak period of its development, one of the
largest cities in America, and perhaps the whole world during this period.
The city was a planned city of over 2,000 structures, mainly domestic
quarters, decorated with paintings and murals, and with elaborate drainage
systems. The most imposing structures in the city were two enormous
pyramids. called the "Pyramid of the Sun" and the "Pyramid of the Moon"
built between 1st and 2nd century AD, and were linked by a broad avenue. The
great city and its civilization suddenly came to an end around 700 AD,
possibly caused by draught, crop failure, disease, fire or invasion, or a
combination of these factors.
3) Post Classic Period (950 AD-1521 AD)
The Maya States
The Maya centers of civilization of the southern lowlands, in Northern
Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador, collapsed in the Classic period, but the
centers of civilization in the northern Maya lowlands, in the Yucatan
Peninsula survived and continued to flourish during the Post-Classic period.
Some of the important centers during this period were Chichen Itza, Uxmal,
Edzna, and Coba. After the decline of the Chichen and Uxmal ruling
dynasties, the Mayapan ruled all of Yucatan until 1450, when the region
disintegrated into several city-states, and remained so until the Yucatan
was conquered by the Spanish. Some Maya states in the Southern Maya
highlands in the Guatemala and Chiapas highlands also survived in the
Post-Classic period. One such Maya kingdom was the Kiche kingdom of Qumarkaj.
The Zapotec and the Mixtec
Between AD 900 to 1000, the influence of the once powerful Zapotec
capital, Monte Alban declined rapidly, and the capital was abandoned. The
Monte Alban state was replaced by several competing smaller states, a
situation that lasted until the Spanish conquest. The declining
Zapotec civilization was replaced by the Mixtec civilization, who inhabited
the regions of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Pueblo, and set up their capital at
Tilantongo. They also took control of the abandoned city of Monte Alban,
making major improvements to the city, and adding to the splendor and glory
of the city.
Sculpture commemorating the sign from the god Huitzilopochtli, about
the future Aztec civilization
The Aztec Empire
After the collapse of the Teotihuacan, a new city rose to power around the
year 950 AD, that took control of the valley of Mexico. This was the capital
city of the Toltec Indian Empire, known as Tula. The capital city attained
its maximum size and power between 950 and 1150 AD, and its population
reached around 60,000 people. By the year 1200 AD, Tula had lost much of its
influence, and the city was almost abandoned. The Aztec Indians claim there
ancestry from the Toltec Indians, who left Tula after its collapse and moved
south towards lake Texcoco. They took refuge on two islands near the western
shore of Lake Texcoco. The Aztecs believed in a legend that held that they
were destined to establish a great civilization in a marshy area, that would
be identified by the appearance of a cactus growing out of a rock, with an
eagle perched on the cactus, clutching a snake in its talons. When they
arrived at the swamps on the shore of lake Texcoco, their priests proclaimed
that they had seen the promised vision of the eagle, and hence they decided
to establish their permanent settlement on the islands of the lake. They
began farming on the surrounding swampy lands, by raising the land to create
small islands, on which they planted different food crops. Eventually in
1325, they founded the city of Tenochtitlan, on one of the islands of the
lake. In the year 1376, the Aztecs elected their first Huey Tlatoani,
Acamapichtli, who took up residence in Tenochtitlan. The city gradually grew
during the next 100 years, but was paying tribute to a much stronger state
Azcapotzalco, until the year 1427, when Tenochtitlan formed a triple
alliance with the city states of Texcoco and Tlacopan.
The Aztec Empire
Photograph Above,
Creative Commons
The triple alliance which became a powerful force in the region, embarked on
a series of conquests and in the next 100 years became the dominant power in
the valley of Mexico, forming an empire that extended from central
Mexico to the Guatemalan border. Tenochtitaln also became the dominant power
in the alliance.
Acamapichtli was succeeded by his son Huitzilihuitl in 1391, who ruled until
his death in 1415. Huitzilihuitl was succeeded by his son Chimalpopoca who
was assassinated in 1426 by Maxtla, son of Tezozomoc, the ruler of
Azcapotzalco. This assassination led to the formation of the triple
alliance, by Chimalpopoca's successor, Itzcoatl. When Itzcoatl died in 1440,
he was succeeded by Montezuma I, a brother of Chimalpopoca. The main
architects of the Aztec empire are said to be Montezuma I and his
half-brother Tlacaelel, who is believed to have reformed the Aztec empire
and the religion. The Aztec empire reached its greatest period of glory
during the reign of Ahuitzotl, from 1486 to 1502. Ahuitzotl's successor
Montezuma II, had ruled the Aztec Empire for almost 17 years, when in 1519,
the Spanish Conquistadors led by Hernan Cortez landed on the gulf coast of
Mexico.
Hernan Cortez sets sail to Hispaniola
Hernan Cortez also known as Fernando Cortez was born in 1485, in Medellin,
in the kingdom of Castille in Spain. He was a second cousin of Francisco
Pizzaro, who later conquered the Inca empire of Peru. He studied law at the
University of Salamanca at the age of 14, but dropped out after two years.
He then served as a notary for sometime in Seville. Young and restless,
Cortez heard about the exploits of the Spanish Conquistadors who returned
from the West Indies, about their conquests and discoveries, and about the
enormous quantities of gold, emeralds and other valuables, available in
these lands. Such stories only helped and motivated the young Cortez, to
look for an opening to set sail to the New World, to make a life of his own
in these lands of opportunities. The breakthrough came in 1503, when he was
allowed to set sail to the New World, in a ship commanded by Alonso
Quintero, and finally arrived in Santo Domingo, the capital of Hispaniola
(Haiti). The Spanish Governor of Hispaniola was a distant relative of
Cortez, and helped him settle in the Island, where he was made a notary for
the town of Azuza.
Cortez joins the expedition to Cuba
In the year 1510, Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, an aide to the governor of
Hispaniola, was sent on an expedition to conquer Cuba, and Cortez joined him
on this expedition. Cortez distinguished himself in this campaign as a brave
soldier, and earned the admiration of Diego Velazquez, who appointed Cortez
as his secretary, when he was made the Governor of the newly conquered
territory. He was also made the mayor of Santiago in Cuba, and granted large
extent of lands, Indian slaves, mines and herds of cattle. However, with
time their relationship became strained, particularly after Cortez started
an amoral relationship with the Governor's sister-in law Catalina Juarez.
Eventually, under pressure from governor Velazquez, Cortez reluctantly married Catalina
Juarez.
Cortez sets sail to Mexico as the commander
of an expeditionary force
The greatest
opportunity in the life of Cortez, came in 1518, when 15 years after he
first set foot in the West Indies, governor Velazquez, appointed him as the
commander of an expedition to conquer Mexico for the Spanish Crown. However,
at the last moment governor Velazquez had second thoughts about the
expedition, and removed Cortez from the command. Cortez ignored the last
minute orders from the governor, which amounted to an act of open mutiny and
set out on the expedition with his men as planned in February 1519. In March
1519, he and his men landed in the Gulf Coast, in the Yucatan Peninsula,
which was a Mayan territory, and formally claimed the land for the Spanish
Crown. He then led a campaign against the Indians of Tabasco, whom he
defeated in battle, and received a gift of 20 young Indian women, as
an act of goodwill. Among them was a girl by the name of Malinche, who could speak
both Nahutal and Maya languages, who eventually became Cortez's mistress,
enabling him to communicate in both languages.
One of the greatest acts of cruelty committed
by Cortez at Cholula
By July 1519, Cortez had
taken Veracruz, and by mid-August 1519, he decided to march on Tenochtitlan,
the prosperous capital of the Aztec empire, with 400 men, 15 cavalry, 15
canons, and hundreds of Indian archers and helpers. As Cortez marched along
to Tenochtitlan, he made alliances with several native tribes who were
opposed to the Aztecs, such as the Tlaxcala, Tlaxcaltec, and the Totonacs,
and the Tlaxcaltec contributed 3,000 men to swell army of Cortez. In
October 1519, Cortez and his large army marched into the second largest city
of the Central Mexico, Cholula, with a population of 100,000 people and
famous for its great temple of Quetzalcoatl and hundreds of other temples,
and massacred thousands of unarmed members of the nobility gathered in the
central plaza, going down in history as one of the greatest acts of
cruelty committed by the Spanish conquistadors.
Queen Isabella, queen consort of king Charles V of Spain, Holy Roman
Emperor
Cortez marches into Tenochtitlan and receives
lavish gifts of gold and emeralds which include the Isabella Emerald
The news of the massacres at Cholula reached the Aztec king Montezuma II at
Tenochtitlan, who had enough time to plan out a strategy to face the forces
of Cortez, if they decided to move towards his capital. Montezuma II was
intelligent enough to realize that his forces were not a match to the
overwhelming fire power of Cortez's army, and decided not to challenge his
army if they chose to enter his capital. On November 8, 1519, Cortez decided
to enter Tenochtitlan, and was warmly welcomed by the Aztec emperor
Montezuma II, who allowed them to enter the heart of the Aztec empire,
without any hindrance. The king then gave lavish gifts of gold, silver and
emeralds to Heranan Cortez and his Spanish soldiers, in order to make them
happy, and prevent another Cholula-type massacre. Hernan Cortez being the
commander was singled out for special treatment, and was showered with large
quantities of gold and emeralds by the king. It is believed that the large
mystical "Emerald of Judgment" which subsequently came to be known as the
"Isabella Emerald" was also among the gifts received by Cortez. According to
a letter written by Cortez to king Charles V of Spain around this time, the
Aztecs had considered Cortez either as an emissary of the feathered serpent
god Quetzalcoatl or Quetzalcoatl himself, which according to an ancient
prophecy had predicted that Quetzalcoatl, would return as a white man with a
red beard, from the east to reclaim his empire in the year of Reed One. In
the year 1519, the year of Reed One, Hernan Cortez, a white man with a red
beard, landed from the east, on the shores of the Aztec empire, as if to
fulfill that prophecy. This probably explains the behavior of Montezuma II
and his people, who initially received Hernan Cortez and his army with great
regard and respect, and gifted the "Emerald of Judgment" the most powerful
instrument of Aztec culture, to Hernan Cortez, the God Quetzalcoatl
reincarnate, to whom the emerald rightfully belonged.
Emperor Montezuma II
Montezuma is killed by his own subjects
Everything was peaceful for sometime, Hernan Cortez and his soldiers
enjoying the hospitality of the Aztecs in their capital city. However news
reached Cortez one day that the Spanish army on the coast had been attacked
by the Montezuma's men. Cortez immediately took Montezuma as hostage in his
own palace, forcing him to swear allegiance to king Charles V. Montezuma,
was probably forced to surrender a large treasure of gold and emeralds, as
ransom in return for his freedom. Peace again returned to Tenochtitlan and
the Spanish continued to remain in the city without opposition for the next
six months, when an expedition from Cuba, consisting of 1,100 men, sent by
Governor Diego Velazquez landed in Mexico in April 1520. Cortez immediately
left Tenochtitlan to meet the expeditionary force, and defeated them without
much difficulty, in spite of their numerical strength. In the absence of
Cortez in Tenochtitlan, a Spanish
officer, Pedro de Alvarado, took the law into his own hands and massacred
200 Aztec nobles who had gathered for a religious ceremony, triggering an
immediate local rebellion. Cortez hurriedly returned to Tenochtitlan, and proposed
an armistice, counting on the support of Montezuma. But, Montezuma was
killed by his own subjects in July 1520, who accused him of being too
lenient towards the foreign invaders. Cortes had no alternative but to flee
Tenochtitlan with his men to the safety of Tlaxcala, his allies in the war
with the Aztecs. But the Aztecs made the escape of Cortez and his men
difficult, by destroying the bridges leading to the island city of
Tenochtitlan, forcing his men to swim across the deep waters of the lake
Texcoco. During this hurried get away Cortes lost several of his men either
by drowning or being massacred by the Aztecs who attacked his rearguard.
The fall of Tenochtitlan
After the death of Montezuma II, on July 1st 1520, his brother Cuitlahuac
succeeded him as king of the Aztec empire, but was able to rule only for 80
days, as he succumbed to an attack of small pox, during an epidemic that
spread across the region, also believed to have started from a Spanish
soldier. Cuitlahuac was then succeeded by Cuauhtémoc, a nephew and
son-in-law of emperor Montezuma II, who remained emperor until the fall of
Tenochtitlan in 1521.
Cortez lost 870 men, and all his artillery during the hurried and panicky
escape from Tenochtitlan, as well as most of the looted and gifted
treasures. It appears that the renowned mystical "Emerald of Judgment"
which subsequently became the "Isabella Emerald" and which was presented
personally to Cortez by King Montezuma, was not lost during this turbulent
period. After retreating to Tlaxcala, Cortez re-grouped his forces and
gathered more native Indian allies, in preparation for another assault on
Tenochtitlan. In the meantime more reinforcements had arrived from the
Spanish in Cuba, including weapons and ammunition. Cortez moved cautiously,
at first subduing all cities allied with the Aztecs. He then cut off all
supplies to Tenochtitlan, and organized a siege of the island city. The city
could not withstand the siege for quite long and on August 13, 1521, the
Aztec Lords decided to surrender, and Cuauhtémoc was captured while crossing
Lake Texcoco in disguise. Then from the year 1521 to 1524, Cortes personally
governed Mexico. The fall of Tenochtitlan marked the end of the Aztec
civilization, one of the greatest Mesoamerican civilizations that originated
in the 10th century A.D. On the ruins of Tenochtitlan, the Spanish built the
modern city of Mexico.
Cortez appointed as Governor of New Spain
(Mexico)
King Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, appointed Cortez
as the governor and captain general of the newly conquered territory that
was known as New Spain. In his capacity as the governor, Cortez was
responsible for overseeing the construction of Mexico City, on the ruins of
the ancient city of Tenochtitlan. Cortez set out to acquire more territory
for the Spanish crown, and from 1524 to 1526, led an expedition to Honduras.
It was during this expedition that he finally executed Cuauhtémoc by
hanging, fearing that he might have led an insurrection if left in Mexico.
Cortes returned to Spain in 1528, and was received by King Charles with
great honor, who bestowed him with several honors such as the Order of
Santiago and Marquis of the Oaxaca Valley. However he was not restored as
governor or given any administrative office, even though he still retained
full military authority, with permission to pursue his conquests for the
Crown. Cortes returned to Mexico in 1530, and settled down in his estate at
Cuernavaca, about 30 miles south of Mexico City.
Cortez gifts the Isabella Emerald to his
second wife Dona Juana de Zuinga
Cortez married twice. His first wife was Catalina Juarez Marcada, who died
at Coyoacan in 1522. He was accused of murdering his first wife but the
accusations were never proved. After landing in Mexico in 1519, he took a mistress by
the name of La Malinche also known as Dona Marina, one of the 20 Indian
girls whom he received as gift after defeating the Indians of Tabasco. When
Cortez returned to Spain, he took his second wife in 1529, the daughter of
Don Carlos Ramirez de Arellano, the 2nd count of Aguilar, by the name of
Dona Juana Ramirez de Arellano de Zuniga. Cortez gifted the celebrated
emerald given by Emperor Montezuma, the "Emerald of Justice" aka the
"Isabella Emerald" to his second wife Dona Juana de Zuniga.
Death of Cortez in 1547
In 1541, Cortez returned to Spain again for the second time, and was allowed
to join an expedition against a naval base of the Ottoman empire in the
Barbary coast in Algiers, used by Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha, an Ottoman
Admiral who dominated the Mediterranean Sea for decades. The expedition
however failed and resulted in defeat for the second time for the
naval forces of Charles V. Cortez now heavily in debt after spending his own
money to finance expeditions, returned to his family in Mexico in 1547. On
December 2nd 1547, Cortez died of Pleurisy at the age of 62, in Castilleja
de la Cuesta, in Seville province of Mexico.
The Isabella Emerald and the Cortez/Zuinga
family treasures are lost at sea in 1757
The descendants of Cortez who settled in Mexico, continued to serve the
Spanish Crown and acquired great wealth and positions of power in the
country. Over the years they collected a treasure trove of gold, emeralds,
and Aztec artifacts such as gold idols, death masks, crystal skulls etc. The
"Isabella Emerald" also remained a part of the family treasure. Then in the
1750s almost 200 years after the death of Cortez, the family requested from
the King of Spain, Ferdinand VI, for larger land grants in Mexico, and
additional favors in return for the Cortez/Zuinga family fortune. The King
agreed to the request and dispatched a courier with a small fast ship in
1756, to bring back the treasure to Spain. The treasures were loaded on to
the ship, and according to its manifest, contained a hundred chests of
emeralds which included the 964-carat mystical "Isabella Emerald", gold
idols, gold and jade death masks of Aztec emperors, crystal skulls and other
instruments of human sacrifice. The ship then set sail from Mexico in 1757,
from one the ports on the Gulf Coast, probably Veracruz, New Spain's main
port on the Gulf Coast.
NASA Photo of the Bermuda Triangle
The ship sailed across the Gulf of Mexico, and through the Straits of
Florida, entered the Atlantic Ocean. Then as the ship was sailing through
the Bermuda Triangle, tragedy struck the ship, as it had struck mysteriously
so many other vessels that passed through the triangle before. The ship
caught fire and sank in the Atlantic Ocean, several miles off the Florida
coast. But, the exact position where the ship went down was not known. The
only information about the position of the ship was given by the captain of
another ship, who saw the ship burning and reported the number of hours
since they were in sight of land.
Descendant of Cortez/Zuinga family
commissions A. D. Ventures Ltd. in 1992, to locate and salvage the lost
treasures
The Cortez/Zuinga family treasures that sank in the Atlantic Ocean remained
there for over 200 years, and some members of the family knew about its loss
as the information was passed down secretly from generation to generation.
Then in the year 1992, 235 years after the loss of the ship, a descendant of
the Cortez/Zuinga family commissioned the firm Archaeological Discovery
Ventures Ltd. based in Palm Beach, Florida, to locate the missing ship, and
possibly retrieve the ancient treasures, trapped in the ship, that included
the famous "Isabella Emerald." The selection of the firm A.D. Ventures Ltd,
was based on the track record of its founder and CEO, Victor Benilous who
was credited with the discovery of the oldest shipwreck in the western
hemisphere, dating back to 1554 A.D.
Apart from the month and year of the shipwreck, the manifest of the cargo in
the ship, and its passengers, and the general area in which the
shipwreck took place, viz. the infamous "Bermuda Triangle," the family
was not able to provide any further information, that would lead to a quick
salvage operation. However, the evidence of the captain of a ship in the
immediate neighborhood of the disaster, who had seen the ship on fire before
sinking, was available. It only said that the incident occurred so many
hours and minutes from the last time they had seen land.
Victor Benilous uses unconventional methods
to locate the site of the 1757 shipwreck
The rather vague information provided on the possible site of the shipwreck
was supplemented by Victor Benilous' wide knowledge on the ancient Spanish
navigational routes. If only he had the knowledge of the normal speeds
achieved by sailing ships in the 16th century, he would have been able to
roughly calculate the area where the ship would have gone down. In the
absence of such information, Victor Benilous, was forced to resort to
unscientific means of locating the possible site, which seemed to have
worked in previous projects. He sought the assistance of two psychic or
remote viewers, who were presented with detailed maps of the suspected area
and asked to pinpoint the site. Working independently of one another, the
two psychics identified an area, which was only 5 cm apart on the maps.
Armed with this information and with one of the psychics on board, the
search started using the normal salvage equipment such as a proton
magnetometer, side scan sonar and bottom profiler. As located on the map by
the psychics, within a 5-mile radius, 7 shipwrecks were discovered. The
psychic on board then pointed out an area in the sea, where he said an
incredible power and force, like a giant beacon was calling out to him. The
divers went down at the spot pointed out by the psychic, and to everybody's
astonishment brought out a 6-sided crystal skull, made of star rose quartz.
A silver bar recovered from a position next to the skull was stamped with
the date 1757. Victor Benilous knew immediately that he was on the correct
tract.
The "Emerald of Judgment" aka the "Isabella
Emerald" is re-discovered together with other treasures
The salvage ship anchored at the area where the crystal skull was
discovered, and commenced operations. The area was about 12 miles (19 km)
off the shore of Florida coast, somewhere between Sebastian and Cape
Canaveral. The area where the wreckage of the mid-18th century Spanish
galleon was discovered, was said to be very deep, requiring special
expertise and technology for exploration. Within a short period of starting
operations, the salvage team had recovered a significant part of the
enormous lost treasures, and it was reported that Victor Benilous' second
discovery in 1992, was perhaps the single most important and valuable
treasure wreck ever discovered in the history of salvaging ancient
shipwrecks.
Rose Quartz Crystal Skull
©
A. D. Ventures Inc
The most significant achievement of this operation was the recovery of the
964-carat, oblong, ancient table-cut, deep green Isabella Emerald, which was
the mystical "Emerald of Judgment" presented by Montezuma II to Hernan
Cortez on November 8, 1519, and which had been the most valuable possession
of the Cortez/Zuinga family up to 1757. The other most significant recovery
of the operation was Cortez's signet ring made of silver, with the coat of
arms of the Cortes and Zuinga family, used by Cortez as a signature ring to
seal and stamp the covers of his official communications with the king of
Spain, to maintain their secrecy. Incidentally, the discovery of the signet
ring was one of the confirmatory evidences that the shipwreck was indeed
that of the ship carrying the Cortez/Zuinga family treasure.
Cortez Silver Signet Ring
Among the other items recovered from the lost treasure include :-
1) Over 100,000 carats of cut and polished emeralds.
2) Over 1,000,000 carats of uncut rough emeralds.
3) The World's largest emerald conglomerate weighing 25,644 carats.
4) 8 very rare Mayan ceremonial crystal skulls.
5) Several Mayan and Aztec jade and gold masks.
6) Hundreds of pieces of gold and emerald jewelry.
7) Several gold and silver bars.
8) Several golden idols.
9) Sacrificial knives and instruments.
10) Other Mayan and Aztec artifacts.
The "Isabella Emerald" had been certified as authentic by a former
University of Chicago lapidary professor as well as by the Gemological
Institute of America (GIA). The value of the Queen Isabella Emerald has been
placed around $20 million.
The dramatic discovery of the mid-18th century shipwreck and the recovery of
the lost treasures including the "Isabella Emerald" was given world wide
media coverage in all the major newspapers and magazines around the world,
The Treasure Diver Magazine and the Sources Magazine, called it the
"Greatest Treasure Ever Found" and together with the Time Magazine
(International Issue) featured it on their front covers.
A short profile of Dr. Victor Benilous
Victor Benilous born July 4, 1950, was a man of varied and divergent
interests in life, reflective of the multifarious disciplines he
pursued at various higher educational institutions. He studied Psychology at
McGill University, Electronic Technology at MIT, and Business Administration
at Concordia University. Among the various interests and professions he
pursued in life include the following :-
1) Assisted in the development of a Ground Effect vertical take off and
landing vehicle (VTOL), through technical associates, at NASA, Cape Kennedy.
2) As a professional diver, Victor received international acclaim in 1987,
for the discovery of the oldest shipwreck in the western hemisphere, dating
back to 1554.
3) In 1989, Victor founded the Archaeological Discovery Ventures Inc. based
at Palm Beach, Florida, and became its CEO. The company attained
international prominence again in 1992, for the discovery of the mid-18th
century Spanish shipwreck and the recovery of the lost Hernan Cortes
treasure, that included the 964-carat "Isabella Emerald", the world's
largest faceted gem-quality emerald, and other ancient Mayan and Aztec
artifacts.
4) Victor's divergent interests in life was highlighted in 1988, when he
founded the Palm Beach Theological Seminary College, and became its first
Chancellor. The laudable objectives of this religious institution, which is
non-denominational and non-sectarian, is the commitment to end religious and
race discrimination, through the study of comparative religions, exploring
the common bonds that root people together.
5) In 1988, Victor co-founded the "New Frontiers Productions Inc." with a
former producer of 20/20. The company produced documentaries for major
network and cable syndicates.
6) His expeditions for recovering lost treasures, not only reached the
unfathomed depths of the ocean, but also inaccessible terrain on land such
as the Superstitious Mountains of Arizona. Since 1989, he organized and
headed ten expeditions to these mountains, in search of the Lost Dutchman's
Gold.
7) Victor's abilities in locating hidden treasures were again put to the
test in 1994, when he was commissioned by a retired U.S. intelligence
official to do a covert operation to recover the lost "Mussolini Diamonds,"
that were buried on the outskirts of a town, during the invasion of Sicily
in 1945. Instead of using any unconventional methods like employing psychics
or remote viewers, Victor went about this challenging assignment in a very
scientific and professional manner. At the outset Victor retrieved
de-classified documents and copies of original maps used in the invasion,
from the Library of Congress. Then using GPS and ground-penetrating radar,
Victor successfully recovered the diamonds from the burial site.
Victor Benilous is indeed a rare and gifted human being, and his divergent
interests in life listed above, bears ample testimony to this fact. Little
wonder therefore that in 1992, Victor Benilous was included in the list of
"Two Thousand Notable American Men" and in 1995, in the list of Five
Thousand Personalities of the World for Outstanding Contributions in
Archaeology.
Related :-
Emerald Man
Emerald Unguentarium
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References :-
1.Encyclopedia of the Ancient World - Olmecs, Editor -
Thomas J. Sienkewicz.
2.Mesoamerican Chronology - from
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
3.The Aztec
Empire - MSN Encarta.
4.Aztec - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
5.Hernan Cortes - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
6.John
Pohl's - Mesoamerica - Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican
Studies, Inc.
7.Isabella Emerald, Cortes Treasure - Website of the A. D.
Ventures Inc.
8.The Search for the Spanish Galleons -
Website of the A. D. Ventures Inc.
9.Cortes and the Isabella
Emerald - Excerpts from the Treasure Driver Magazine - Website of the A. D.
Ventures Inc.
10.From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail : Emeralds in Myth,
Magic and Legend - Diane Morgan (2007).
11.Just Give.org - website of Palm Beach Theological Seminary College
Ministry.
