The History of Gold in Fortuna

When the boys who made Google Earth finally roll out the the add on that allows you to see satellite shots from the past you will be able to see the narrow land bridge of the Americas light up with the glint of moving gold – like a surreal 10 carrot necklace of marching leaf cutter ants.

This is El Camino Real the trail that linked the plundered cities of the Incas with the Panama port city of Portebelo.  Here conquistadors loaded ships bound for the king of Spain.  (And lost gold along the way) The gold rush did not end there.  Another rush for gold a century later brought the lusty fever across the land bridge to California.  This time instead of mule trains they carted their gold back to Europe on the only rail trains across the Americas.  (And lost gold along way)  And now it has the only canal across the Americas.  The gold rush did not end there.

El Camino Real was treacherous.  Loosing 20% off sliding cliff walls or bandits was tolerable but pirates Henry Morgan and Sir Francis Drake eventually succeeded in closing the route off and the train of gold to Spain ended.  Shortly before their success a young Spaniard, Fernando de Sanchez, did not trust El Camino Real and  found another pass further north over the continental divide.  The treasure he was transporting was said to be rare Inca Gold Scarabs more characteristic of Egyptian civilizations.  Although this new route had none of the dangers of El Camino Fernando is said to have become crippled with paranoia. Some stories have him discovering gold and jealously guarding it.  Another theory not taken seriously until recently was that one of the gold scarabs he was transporting came alive, bit him and inflicted him with an obsessive compulsive disorder.   This theory gained new enthusiasm after a new stretch of highway become the second road to span the isthmus.  Completed in 1989, the road opened a whole new area of tropical rain forest to entomologists who discovered a gold Cerambycidae or Gold Bug.  The insect is not known to bite but entomologists discovered a powerful toxin believed to be hallucinogenic.  It could be that Fernando was bitten by this rare insect as he was coincidently guarding the Inca treasure.  Fernando de Sanchez disappeared somewhere in the rugged mountains of Panama before reaching the coast with the gold beetles.

A treasure hunter dug a mine shaft near the location Fernando was believe to have hidden the gold.  The treasure seeker drown deep in the mine after a heavy rain.  The town, Valle de la Mina, is still there today inside the Fortuna Forest Reserve but the locals believe there is no gold – the Inca gold beetles, sprung to life and live in the hills surrounding the town.  An eco resort, painted bright gold, exists in the hills above the town, committed to finding and preserving the lost gold beetles.  The resort is The Lost and Found. 

Completing The Lost and Found Treasure Hunt is not easy.  You will need to combine a mixture of intelligence and skill.  The maps we've made are important.  You need a complete day with an early start.  Or start in the evening around The Lost and Found and then venture out deeper in the reserve early in the morning.

Start by finding the first clue in the center of the labyrinth.  You must leave the same way you came in and cannot jump over walls or you will be disqualified.  The first clue will lead you to another location near or at The Lost and Found.  The second clue takes you into the forests of the Fortuna Forest Reserve.  If you become too frustrated you can ask for a clue.

The River

At some point the hunt will take you to the river.  The river is a lot of fun – Go in – no one regrets it, even though it is cold.  The river is a kind of obstacle course.  It is about an hour's hike to the river.  You need to leave yourself at least an hour to explore the river, another hour to get to the last location and then another hour to get back.