Panama History: Old Panama: A Story of Love and Piracy – Exclusive Content

In 1688, on the island of Jamaica, Sir Henry MorganKing Charles II awarded this pirate a military rank. He was on his deathbed and his last words were: Panama… Doña Ines… Treasure…

The film ending of a major figure in Panama City history is part of a legend that lives on today. This is the ending of the novel Tierra Firma or Morgan’s Treasurewriting Written by Octavio Mendes Pereira.

We don’t know how much of this story is true, but it comes from the main chronicler, Dutchman John EskemerlinAlthough many are skeptical of the story of this alleged eyewitness, others agree that it contains a very interesting chapter about the life of the greatest pirate of the 17th century. In particular, his love affair with a Panamanian woman.

Morgan is defeated by love

Continuing our story, if we jump in time Ernesto Castillero Reyesin his book Legends and History of Old PanamaIt is said that at a reception many years later Renata de Coronal, Duchess of Portsmouth, consort of Charles II of England, At Euston Castle, where he had been Invited by then-Captain Henry Morgan, the favorite asked the pirate:

—¿Sir Henry, is it true that you have never been defeated?

The interrogator thought for a moment and then replied:

—Yes, Duchess, I was: a Spanish prisoner from Panama who had refused my pleas and rejected my love. That beautiful woman had defeated me.

“She is very pretty, Sir Henry?”

—Extremely beautiful, lady! It seemed as if his eyes and face had taken away all the brightness of the stars, and the quiet sweetness of the stars in the sky. Only she defeated me!

Deposed Queen

After the pirate and his gang captured Panama City on January 28, 1671, they spent a month in the monastery of La Merced, where some citizens who had managed to escape the fire were imprisoned and the pirates were waiting to demand a ransom for their freedom.

It was there that Morgan first met the protagonist of the story: Doña Ines. After interrogation, she told him that she had been brought as a booty from Taboga, where she and her husband, who was traveling in Peru, lived a wealthy life.

According to Eskemerin, “This lady was very beautiful and had a very kind heart. She looked so outstanding that she would have been no less attractive than any other lady in Europe in the pursuit of society. Captain Morgan, as soon as he noticed her extraordinary beauty, was impressed and ordered her to be placed in a special room. She burst into tears and begged the captain to allow her to remain with her servants and friends, but she did not receive it.”.

According to Castillero Reyes, although the event was recorded by several chroniclers, including Pirate Zach Harry, one of the expedition members He wrote in his diary: “Among the group of prisoners, she stood out for her majestic beauty and the evident dignity in her demeanor, which led us to describe the captive as “the deposed queen.”

Literature gave her several names: Inés de Santa Cruz in the stories of Mendes Pereira, mainlandSalvador Calderón Ramírez states in his book that María del Pilar Gamero Morgan Charles Driesall Amores de Morgan in Panamaher name is Teresa Aguilar.

But what everyone agrees on is that Inés from the very beginning resisted the amorous advances of the pirate, who tried to win her heart with flattery, promises, gifts of gold and jewels, a bright future in England, but did nothing to break the Panamanian’s unwavering will.

Patience exhausted, the pirates resorted to violence.But she held a dagger in her arms and threatened to kill herself before she saw her honor as a woman violated.”

Morgan, offended by her pride, ordered her to be thrown into a dungeon, stripped of her fine clothes and jewels, and put on a diet of bread and water, which, though failing to quench her amorous longings, kept him petrified until the day of his return to the Caribbean.

Towards freedom

The pirate, his men, and a group of people, mostly women and children, who were captured during the Panama raid and considered prisoners because they could not pay the ransom, were already on their way back to Chagres. Among them was Ines, who commented that her family had paid ransom to some of the friars, but they used the money to free others.

When Henry Morgan found out about this, he summoned the two religious men before him and ordered them thrown into prison.

Mendes Pereira reports, “Then he called the lady who had made him suffer so much and told her without disguising: Madam, you are free. You can tell your husband that these monks will return your ransom in full when they get it. Lady Ines did not know how to react: such contradictory feelings flooded her soul! The joy of feeling free and whole, the surprise of knowing that her husband was not dead, the contempt and gratitude for the pirate who had pursued her, who had treated her so badly and now behaved so nobly, like an English gentleman…

—Thank you, sir, he held out his hand.

Morgan kissed her fingers respectfully, and she watched him leave immediately without looking back…

The story ends with Morgan giving the robber monk 30,000 yuan Dona Inés de Santa Cruz threatened that if he did not receive them, he would return personally to kill them.

We don’t know if any of this is true.”“I myself would never have believed so firmly, I could not judge with my eyes and ears,” said the pirate Eskemerin of the Panamanian woman. “She was not very old, but her beauty was so great that I doubted if anyone could be found in all Europe who could surpass her perfection in grace, manners, or honesty.””.

He also said that through the windows the pirates heard the sound of the rosary as Doña Ines and her slaves knelt in prayer.

Morgan returns to the Caribbean

The Panama raid was devastating to Spain and earned Morgan a reputation as one of the most successful pirates of the time. However, the raid also complicated diplomatic relations between England and Spain. As a result, Morgan was arrested in England, although he was later released and, interestingly, knighted by King Charles II as Sir Henry Morgan.

Morgan returned to the Caribbean, eventually becoming Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica, and spent his final years away from piracy, leading a quieter, more respectable life.

Although this story is a legend, its essence reflects the rich history of Panama City. These legends not only enrich our understanding of the past, but also provide inspiration for artists of different genres, who find in them an inexhaustible source of intrigue, romance and adventure.

Thus, through these narratives, the memory of pirates sailing the seas and cities shining with stories of courage and resistance is preserved.

Understanding history enables us to understand our present.