You may be surprised to read that the Marigalante pirate ship that sets sail each day of the year to entertain visitors with tales of debauchery, treachery and swashbuckling betrayal has a more legitimate past. While today the pirate ship is one of the most iconic tourist attractions in Puerto Vallarta, it was built for quite a different purpose. Read on to find out the real life history of Puerto Vallarta’s famed pirate ship.
Replica of Columbus’ Flagship
The Marigalante ship is a wooden Spanish style galleon built around a solid steel frame that was built as a replica of the Santa Maria, which was Christopher Columbus’ flagship on his voyage of discovery to America. It was carefully constructed and crafted in the town of Alvarado, Veracruz, and it took the seven years between 1980 thru 1987 to build, by a nonprofit Civil Association “Mar, Hombre y Paz”. Rather than as a pirate ship, the Marigalante was first constructed to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas, which was to be celebrated in 1992.
Sailing around the world
The Marigalante’s first voyage was in 1987, when the galleon sailed to Santona in Cantabria, Spain from Veracruz. Afterwards it sailed to Seville, followed by Guadalquivir where 10,000 “Maravedis” (coins) were delivered to the Rodrigo de Triana family in a ceremonial reenactment of the amount of money that should have been awarded to the first man to actually spot land while sailing with Christopher Columbus. As the history books record, Columbus took the credit for this discovery and so the reenactment was a way of giving Rodrigo de Triana his glory back. The coins were collected from 33 countries around the world and placed into a special chest that was carefully designed, and which now resides in “La Antigua” at the Cathedral of Seville.
Trade routes
Following the presentation of the coins, the Marigalante ship traveled the Nao route to Japan from Mexico to commemorate 100 of years of Mexico’s trading agreements. The ship then traveled to Ecuador in South America on the Cocoa route, then to Spain where the 500th year anniversary celebration of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World was held. During this time, the ship visited over 87 ports and islands around the world, covering 52,000 nautical miles (96,304 kilometers), equal to traveling around the world 2 and a half times.
Where is the Marigalante today?
Today the Marigalante pirate ship remains the pride and joy of Puerto Vallarta and has become the number one tourist destination in Banderas Bay. The day tour on the pirate ship is packed full of fun for everyone in the family as you will enjoy a variety of watersports such as paddle boarding, then a treasure hunt. The night tour offers excitement and adventure as the pirates present a pirate show featuring sword fighting and fireworks after a delicious three-course meal.
For tours on the Marigalante pirate ship, visit our tour agency on site at Hotel Mousai.
