The coasts of Uruguay, especially those of Cabo Polonia, Barra de Valizas and Aguas Dulces in Rocha, arouse the curiosity of those who visit our department, because most of the wrecks have happened there, and some of them are famous for the legends created from their tragedies.
On October 9, 1875, under a heavy storm and fog, the ship of Portuguese origin, "Arinos" (propelled by a paddle wheel), ran aground on the beach of Aguas Dulces. The tragic end occurred during its route from Rio de Janeiro with stops until Rio Grande bound for Montevideo, while carrying a shipment of gold coins to subsidize the expenses in the War of the Triple Alliance of the Brazilian imperial army, which together with Argentina and Uruguay undertook against the Paraguayan people.
The oldest settlers in the area said that on the days of falling tide, it was possible to reach the vestiges of the boat by swimming or even walking. Salt water and sand have eaten away the remains of this ship; The sea has gained more and more ground and today you can only see a small part of it.
The legend of Arinos gold
The "Arinos" was the generator of numerous stories and legends with their sterling pounds; some say they were hidden in the hollow of a triplet palm trees or buried under the roots of a double palm tree in the area of Palmares de Castillos. Others claim that they lie on the camalotes of the Laguna de Briozzo in Aguas Dulces. However, according to newspapers of the time specialized in maritime news, gold was stolen by Brazilian revolutionaries who acted as bandits.
The captain of the steam Arinos, declared on October 13, 1875:
"I declare that I received from Lieutenant Romero, before my crew officers and the Vice-Consul of Portugal, Federico Augusto dos Santos Baptista, two boxes with the sign that they claim to have £ 4,367, which were taken from me by Mr. Leoncio Lapuente on the night of the 10th of the current. "
There are lots of versions from stories generated by the "Arinos" shipwreck, from which many questions and few answers arise, but everybody is still passionate about the issue.
