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Treasure Hunt

10 December 2008 – map release

To give a couple of homeschool students practice with the year 9 mathematics skills they've picked up this year I've created a treasure map for them to solve...

Many years ago a Spanish pirate by the name of Capitán Rondo de la Barba hid an unknown quantity of treasure somewhere on an island he called Isla del Tesoro. He was never able to retrieve the treasure, but thankfully he made a map.

Download the Treasure Map (PDF, 1/2 MB).

Download the Treasure Map (GIF, 216 KB).

Handed down through many generations, the map has by means fair and foul come into my possession. Now, the problem is that I know the location of Isla del Tesoro, and I was able to translate most of his clues, but I can't figure out what they mean! I need help.

This is where my two maths students come in. Once they figure out where on Isla del Tesoro the treasure may be hidden they just need to convince me that the clues irrefutably point to the spot they've found and I'll head off to the island to dig at that location. If I find the treasure, they'll get a share.

Unfortunately, I suspect that since the clues were too baffling for me to figure out, some of the non-mathematical clues may be a bit hard for them, and may even take a certain amount of deviousness from adults to solve. We'll see.

Disclaimer: Please note that families may find it very difficult or even impossible to solve the clues. In-jokes or subtle hints from the maths tutor may play an essential role. Or just be plain misleading. While anyone is welcome to try to find the treasure, only those who have been tutored by me are eligible to be awarded the treasure.

Treasure Hunting Notes

Miscellaneous notes, and observations from treasure seekers are continued on a separate page. Extra parchment scraps have been found!