The Santa Maria de Consolacion sank in 1681 off the small island of Santa Clara in Ecuador. The island, nicknamed Isla de Muerto (Isle of Death) was a routine stopover for the Spanish Armada, carrying treasure from Chile and Peru to Panama and ultimately, Spain. The Consolacion was delayed while loading its silver cobs from Potosi, Bolivia and thus was separated from the Armada. When the lone ship met with pirates, the captain decided to ground the ship on the island of Santa Clara. But the Consolacion struck a reef and after its evacuation was set ablaze. Neither the pirates of then or later days were able to recover all the treasure. In 2001, thousands of silver coins were just a portion of the original treasure that was recovered by a salvage company named ROBCAR.
