When you think about the Caribbean Ocean your mind probably conjures an image of clear skies, blue waters and sandy beaches. You might also think about 16th century sailing ships, the silver of the Spanish Main, and, of course, pirates. Despite the true relationship between the Caribbean and pirates, much of what we think about pirates isn’t true. After all, peg legs weren’t very common, parrots rarely nestled complacently on shoulders, and a pirates actual life was hard and rough. Like most things in media, however, the actual true life of pirates is usually much more interesting than the fiction.

A great example of an authentic pirate and what they were really like is the infamous Roberto Cofresí, more commonly known as ‘the Pirate Cofresí’. Born to an Austrian father and a Spanish mother, Roberto was born in 1791 in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. By the time Roberto was a young man, the Golden Age of Piracy that lasted from the mid 17th century to the early 18th century, was already over. Basically, Roberto was born decades after all the most infamous pirates were dead and buried. That did not stop him from making his own legend.

By the time of his death in 1825, the Pirate Cofresí would be known across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Spanish Empire, the young United States, and throughout Latin America as force to be reckoned with. Even today he is remembered as a folk hero in Puerto Rico and the Villas Cofresí in the Dominican Republic is named after him. Legend even has it that somewhere near Villas Cofresí, Roberto hid all his treasure before he was taken by the authorities and shot.

However, how the infamous Robert Cofresí acquired his treasure and how he lost it is a story for another time….