As guests enter the restaurant they will notice the details of the entryway. They are greeted by a host or a hostess in traditional spanish dress. The entry way has the story and the history of the Spanish galleons framed and hung on the wall over the front desk. This artwork tells the story of how these large ships were sent from Spain to retrieve the six billion dollars of gold and silver that were mined in Spain's American colonies. These galleons were heavily armed with huge bronze cannons. Twenty eight ships, including the Atocha and the Santa Margarita, left Cuba carrying the royal treasure for Spain. This treasure fleet was lost in 1622 after sailing into a hurricane. Capsized treasure ships were scattered over fifty miles. Spain made unsuccessful attempts to find this treasure. In 1817, the United States bought Florida ending Spain's influence and leaving the lost treasure to be forgotten. The treasure was eventually found and guests can join the adventure by taking a voyage on the Spanish Galleon.
On the wall behind the desk, replicas of spanish (gold)doubloons and (silver)escudos are attached to the walls like wallpaper. This type of decoration allows the guests to realize that these ships were part of a great empire that controlled vast territories on four continents. They were part of Spains treasure fleet. The front of each coin displays a coat of arms for the king of Spain-the Great Shield of the House of Hapsburg. The "Crusador's Cross" was imprinted on the back. This was a symbol for the 17th century Spanish union of church and state.A lion was impressed within the cross. The lion sybolized the province of Leon and the castle represented the province of Castile. Hundreds of emeralds ranging from 1/2 to 77 carets were part of this treasure. The cargo on these galleons was worth tens of millions of dollars today.
