Chalices of Cartagena



"Two Chalices." "On the map, there was a Chalice&mdash;" "Two. Silver. From Ponce de León's ship. You'll need both." "For?" "The Ritual!"

- Teague and Jack Sparrow

The Chalices of Cartagena, also known as the Chalices of Ponce de León or simply the Chalices, were a pair of identical silver chalices. The Chalices were known to be the symbol of the Fountain of Youth. The Chalices were one of the key items in the Profane Ritual, which was attempted during the search for the Fountain in 1750.

Legends of the Chalices
"Why are you here?" "Blackbeard sent me. Why are you?" "Silver Chalices for my royal liege." "Oh, please."

- Hector Barbossa and Jack Sparrow while aboard the Santiago

It is unknown when and where the Chalices were made. Both Chalices appeared almost identical, except one of them was inscribed with the word "Aqua", and the other with "de Vida"; the Water of Life. Stolen from the city of Cartagena, the Chalices have seen many owners and much blood has been spilled in their name over the centuries. The Chalices would at some point be put inside a chest, which had the two Chalices designed onto its lid, and placed in the Captain's Quarters aboard the Santiago, a ship captained by Juan Ponce de León.

In the 1500s, Ponce de León was sent to explore the New World. During the journey, he kept the Chalices in the chest in his cabin, along with other treasures. But in 1523, while searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth, the Santiago was caught in a storm, and wrecked on the edge of the cliff on unchartered lands.

Race to the Chalices
"I'm sorry about the Chalices, Jack, but I've an appointment to keep. I'll not be going back." "No need. Shall we have a drink?" "We'll drink at the Fountain!"

- Hector Barbossa and Jack Sparrow



Two centuries later, in 1750, several parties went on a dangerous quest for the Fountain of Youth. The Chalices were sought by Angelica, who discovered their purpose, and the Spanish, who discovered the ship's log of the Santiago. When arriving to the island where the Fountain was located, Blackbeard made Jack Sparrow go and retrieve the Chalices from the Santiago. Jack arrived to the Santiago, meeting with Barbossa aboard, only to discover that the Spanish had beaten both of them and took the Chalices from the chest.

Design and usage
"I need those Chalices."

- Blackbeard to Jack Sparrow

The Chalices of Cartagena, while seemingly ordinary, were very powerful objects. They came as a pair with wrought silver bearing golden texture, linings, and heraldic design. The Chalices were very identical to each other, save for the fact that each Chalice bared one of two words engraved at the rims: "Aqua" and "de Vida". According to the Profane Ritual, the Chalices are needed in order to make the Fountain of Youth work. Two people must drink from the Chalices&mdash;both containing the Fountain water, one with a mermaid's tear and one without. Whoever drinks from the one with the mermaid's tear takes the years of the other. "No, wait, wait! Wait. Aqua...de Vida."

- Jack Sparrow reading from the Chalices

The other known power of the Chalices is that they have the magic words to enter the Fountain's chamber inscribed; "Aqua de Vida".

Behind the scenes

 * The Chalices of Cartagena were referred to by several names in Pirates of the Caribbean media. Although the name Cartagena never appeared in the final cut of On Stranger Tides, it was mentioned in the film's visual guide and as "Cups of Cartagena" in a production draft. They were most often referred to as "Chalices of Ponce de León" or simply the Chalices.
 * In the 2012 attraction The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow, a skeleton can be seen holding one of the Chalices.
 * The Chalice from the Mao Kun Map appears different from the Chalices from On Stranger Tides, particularly on how Aqua de Vida was written. On the map, it was written on one Chalice, while in On Stranger Tides, "Aqua" and "de Vida" were written on two separate Chalices.
 * The Chalices used to give and take life is similar to the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Appearances

 * The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow
 * Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
 * LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game