The Crown called him a pirate. The city remembers another story.
Follow six real landmarks, uncover the witnesses' secrets, and decide what happened in The Governor's Lie.
“The Crown called him a pirate. Six landmarks hold another side of the story.”
Hear his side of the story before you judge.
Fictional character · Optional 60-second introduction
Read the transcript
“Ahoy, crew, and welcome to Old San Juan. I am Captain Tomás Vega-El Pirata, if you believe the governor. The Crown says I stole royal treasure. The stones of this city remember otherwise. Six landmarks hold six witness marks. Follow the compass, examine what remains, and decide whether a law can be called just when it leaves a city to suffer. Keep to public paths, watch the streets beneath your boots, and trust no official story until the evidence has spoken. When your crew is ready, enter your name and begin.”
Your Voyage in Three Movements
Open the game in your browser, name your crew, and follow Captain Vega into the mystery of Old San Juan.
Follow the compass to six real landmark exteriors, examine each witness mark, and learn the genuine history behind the stones.
Weigh every account against the official story, then deliver your verdict: was Tomás Vega truly El Pirata?
Three Steps to Solve The Mystery
Begin the Story on Your Phone
Open the interactive web application on your smartphone. Enter your crew's name, open the Corsair's Compass, and step into the unfolding mystery.
Follow Clues to Six Real Landmarks
Explore real historic public sites across Old San Juan. Observe their physical exteriors, read genuine historical notes, and collect witness marks.
Piece Together Evidence & Deliver Your Verdict
Weigh conflicting accounts of storms, shortages, power, and human survival. Decide whose account you trust and judge the official story.
Captain Tomás Vega
El Pirata · The accused
Captain Tomás Vega grew up near San Juan’s harbor, where he learned the language of sailors and the workings of ships. The Crown calls him El Pirata and says he stole royal treasure. The people who knew him tell a more complicated story. Follow their witness marks through Old San Juan and decide whose account you trust.
“The Crown says I stole royal treasure. The stones of this city remember otherwise.”
Whose Account Do You Trust?
Storms, shortages, power, and the needs of ordinary people form the backdrop of The Governor's Lie. Each fictional figure offers an intriguing perspective on what transpired.
Inés Rivera
The Apothecary
Treats sailors, families, and soldiers alike without asking which flag they follow. She distrusts official inventories and keeps her own marks.
Governor Alonso Varela
Servant of the Crown
A polished Crown administrator arrived to enforce order after storms and shortages. His official proclamations drive the theft accusation against Tomás.
Sergeant Rafael Córdova
Keeper of the Gate
A garrison guard raised in the city who knows every rotation and tide. When hungry families gather outside the walls, his sense of duty is put to the test.
Marisol de la Cruz
The Metalworker
A free Black master metalworker skilled in forge craft and precision engraving, fashioning ship fittings and repairs for people overlooked by official ledgers.
Real Old San Juan Landmarks
Follow clues to these six public landmark exteriors across the historic walled city. Distinguish documented history and local tradition from the game's fictional mystery.
Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud
The Chapel at the Edge
Built at the southern cliff-edge of Calle del Cristo, this landmark chapel is linked in local tradition to the 1753 San Juan Bautista horse race festivities. Local legend tells of a young rider who plummeted over the precipice, prompting prayers and gratitude.
Local tradition and 18th-century landmark. In the game fiction, it introduces the apothecary's compassionate community presence.
Catedral Basílica Menor de San Juan Bautista
The Oldest Cathedral
Founded in 1521, it is the oldest cathedral in the United States territory. Rebuilt in stone after 16th-century hurricanes, it houses the tomb of first governor Juan Ponce de León.
Documented 16th-century ecclesiastical landmark. In the mystery, players examine its public exterior for a witness mark.
Puerta de San Juan
The Gate of the Sea
Built around 1635, this ceremonial red gate was the main maritime entrance to the walled city from the bay, where arriving governors and clergy were solemnly welcomed.
17th-century fortification gate. In the fictional mystery, players explore whether the gate served to welcome or confine.
Plazuela de la Rogativa
The Silent Procession
Features Lindsay Daen's 1971 bronze sculpture commemorating the famous 1797 rogativa: a night-time religious procession of women carrying torches that led British invaders under Abercromby to mistake them for military reinforcements.
A 20th-century bronze sculpture commemorating an 18th-century event. Fictional characters are not contemporary with this modern monument.
Fuente Raíces, Paseo de la Princesa
The Fountain of Roots
Sculpted by Luis Sanguino and inaugurated in 1992 for the quincentennial, this dramatic bronze fountain along Paseo de la Princesa celebrates the Taíno, African, and European cultural roots of the Puerto Rican people.
A late-20th-century cultural monument. Used in this modern-day scavenger hunt to highlight shared heritage, distinct from early colonial events.
Antigua Prisión La Princesa
The Prison That Wore a Crown
Despite its graceful, royal-sounding name drawn from the adjoining promenade, this structure was built in 1837 as the city's prison. Restored for civic use, it later housed the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
A 19th-century penal institution. In the game fiction, this final public waypoint invites players to weigh the Crown's law against justice and deliver their verdict.
The Crown called him a pirate. Six landmarks hold another side of the story.
One private crew pass gives up to six participants access to the full mystery. Gather your crew, open the Corsair's Compass on your smartphone, and decide what happened in The Governor's Lie.