Treasure of Lima: A Buried Exhibition
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Treasure of Lima: A Buried Exhibition was an art project curated by Nadim Samman for the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Academy, which took place on Isla del Coco (Cocos Island), a remote, protected island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Costa Rica. Works by forty artists were placed inside a chest and buried in a secret location on the island, the pirate history of which inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island.
Isla del Coco is the historical source of many legends relating to buried treasure. The best-known is that of the Treasure of Lima. In 1820, with the army of José de San Martín approaching Lima, Viceroy José de la Serna entrusted the treasures of the city to British trader Captain William Thompson for safekeeping, until the Spaniards could secure the country. Instead of waiting in the harbour as they were instructed, Thompson and his crew killed the Viceroy’s men and sailed to Isla del Coco, where they buried the treasure. Shortly afterwards, they were apprehended by a Spanish warship. Thompson and his first mate said they would show the Spaniards where they had hidden the treasure, in return for their lives. However, after landing on the island they escaped into the forest. A large number of attempts have been made to find the treasure, but none has succeeded.