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 There are few more exciting myths than those of pirates, princesses and buried treasure. (Courtesy Visit Florida) |
GASPARILLA ISLAND, Fla. -- The myth is always more interesting than the reality. And there are few more exciting myths than those of pirates, princesses and buried treasure.
Thus it is with Jose Gaspar, aka Gasparilla, the man who gave his name (or maybe he didn't) to this island at the entrance to Charlotte Harbor, south of Tampa Bay. Gasparilla, the legend says, was a dapper buccaneer who pillaged ships in these waters around the turn of the 19th century.
So much of a legend has grown up around him that, 200 years later, he's still bringing home a treasure to entrepreneurs. Several "pirate" ships offer high-camp cruises under the Jolly Roger and the port city of Tampa extracts millions of dollars from tourists during Tampa's annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest, a Mardi Gras-style extravaganza.
And then there are the treasure hunters. Gasparilla is supposed to have buried his loot on this island and every year people descend on it, armed with what they believe is the location of the hoard. It's a location contained in cryptic clues supposedly left by a man who said he sailed with the pirate king.
I met one of them in the Boca Grille bar in Boca Grande, the island's chief town. He claimed to have deciphered the meaning of symbols etched on two copper plates left by Gomez.
"If I'm right, you won't hear about it," he added.
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Robert Edic, chief archivist for the Boca Grande Historical Society, scoffs at the tales.
"Jose Gaspar was a fictitious pirate," he says. "No archeological or historical documentation has been recovered to prove he ever existed." Edic is also concerned that treasure hunters have been digging in ancient burial mounds and Indian middens.
"This has caused irreparable damage to many of the archeological sites in the area," he says. "The physical destruction by treasure hunters has mired the archeological record forever."
But tourists don't want the facts to stand in the way of a jolly afternoon. That's why the pirate cruises flourish. The most popular in this area is Pieces of Eight, run by self-proclaimed pirate expert Stephen Goff, who sails as Commodore Cutter.
His 20-metre galleon, based in Fort Myers Beach, takes tourists on 90-minute cruises. Between the skits (the crew are all actors, in costume), he tells them about Gasparilla and about historically proven pirates who sailed these waters, and the legend of a beautiful Mexican princess called Joseffa, who was loved by Gasparilla (but lost her head, literally, when she didn't return his love).
In Tampa, the Gasparilla Pirate Fest has been an annual attraction since 1904. The "pirates" invade the city from the tall ship Jose Gasparilla, and there's a big parade and all kinds of associated activities. Officials say the festival gives a $20 million boost to Tampa's economy. The 2010 event takes place Jan. 30, with a lower-key parade for the children on Jan. 23.
For more information, check the websites lee-county.net and piecesofeight.com. General tourist information on Florida is available from visitflorida.com/Canada.