The Golden Altar [Paperback]

Michael J. Merry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2002

In January of 1671 the pirate, Henry Morgan captured and sacked Panama City. In an amazing feat of arms he crossed the Isthmus of Panama and attacked the city from the east, something that military strategists of the day said was im- possible. Morgan took considerable booty from Panama but missed the fabled Golden Altar, a priceless artifact which local churchmen had painted with creasote to avoid detection.

This story tells in detail of Morgan's invasion and of his rage when he eventually discovered what he and his band of bucaneers had overlooked. It goes on to relate how an ancestor, Major Henry Morgan, a British army officer who passed through Panama when returning from the Faulklands war, goes back in 1985 to steal the altar himself. The amazing details of his preparations for the robbery and the melting and disposal of the gold are explained at length in this book.

The descriptions of Morgan's raid in 1671 and of the City of Panama in 1985 are accurate. However, the unviolated Golden Altar still resides today in the church of San Jose in the old part of the city. It's not far from, where General Manuel Antonio Noriega's infamous Defense Forces headquarters stood until 1989, when the US invasion destroyed the complex and life in Panama changed forever.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael J. Merry was educated at the Royal Liberty School in Essex, England. He trained as a telecommunications instructor and traveled to Latin America to work. He lived there for the next 28 years, primarily in the Republic of Panama. He went on to manage a major U.S. news operation in Latin America, travelling widely in the process.

He was in Argentina when the Army revolted in 1987 and Venezuela during the attempted coup by Lt. Colonel (now President) Hugo Chavez in 1992. He eventually moved to Miami scripting two nationally televised financial programs and became Managing Editor of a widely read financial report. Mr. Merry and his wife live close to their two sons and two grandsons in Miami Shores, Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Four Seasons Publishers (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891929755
• ISBN-13: 978-1891929755
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,400,154 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All about the Golden Altar, May 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Golden Altar (Paperback)

THE GOLDEN ALTAR

The Golden Altar is plain and simply an old fashion adventure story. There are no terrorists, no nuclear weapons, no space-craft and no super-heroes. The characters are people who you might see in a restaurant or riding on a bus. They look no different to any other person you might see during the day in a Latin American city.

A couple of them though, beneath their guise of respectability, are planning to execute a daring robbery, the robbery of one of the greatest treasures of the Catholic church. The Golden Altar of Panama. In 1671 the altar resided in a small church in the old city of Panama. It was a magnificent item constructed from the coins and nugget offerings of Spanish sailors who carrier the Inca gold from Peru to Portobello and across the Atlantic to the royal coffers of Spain. When completed it was encrusted with precious stones and was said to be priceless.

To steal, and then melt down and transport that amount of gold would be a formidable task. Gold is usually rendered liquid in a crucible furnace under controlled conditions and at a temperature of over 1,300 degrees. The book describes how Henry Morgan, the pirate and future Lt. Governor of Jamaica, sacked Panama City but failed to recognize the altar, which had been painted over to resemble mahogany by Augustine monks to disguise it. It goes on to tell how an ancestor of Morgan, who passes through Panama in 1985, becomes obsessed with the idea of bettering old Henry and making off with the treasure. The intricate details of planning the heist and how it is actually carried out, as well as the novel manner in which the gold is melted down and disguised, makes the book exciting reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Golden Altar, May 17, 2002

By 

Alberto Febre (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Altar (Paperback)

Mr. Merry's description of the details are captivating. I highly recommend this book to any Latin American history buff. It was an easy read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, October 17, 2002

By 

Ramon Morell Zandalinas "vestres" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Golden Altar (Paperback)

Very easy going, with captivating intrigue and a nicely decorated language, worth reading and enjoying. I am waiting for Mr. Merry's next artwork.