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SANTA MARIA DE YCIAR, SAN ESTEBAN, ESPERITU SANTA

In 1554 three Spanish ships heavily laden with $10 million dollars in silver, gold and 410 passengers ran aground in a stormy sea on Padre Island east of Willacy County. Krankawa cannibals murdered many of the survivors. In that same year 35,000 pounds of treasure was salvaged leaving 51,000 pounds of silver in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1967 to 1975 modern salvage methods recovered more treasure. For hundreds of years Dos Reales and Quatro Reales coins have washed ashore after each passing storm.

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THE SALT OF THE KING

In 1784 Charles III, King of Spain, gave Captain Juan Jose Balli a 315,000 acre land grant known as San Salvador del Tule. It included the greatly treasured Salt Lakes of EL SAL DEL REY and LA SAL VIEJA west of Raymondville. The King said, "All minerals belong to my royal crown." The Texas Constitution of 1867 gave the mineral rights to the land-owners, subject to taxation. The oil and gas mineral wealth of Texas is based on this revision of the Spanish law. Indians, Spaniards, politicians, Confederate and Federal Troops have come to these lakes to gather salt or fight for these riches.