Gold of Juarez

"The legend of the Lost Gold of Juarez has been passed from one generation to the next, since the time of Hernándo Cortés. It was said to the ransom for Montezuma, held hostage by the Spanish in the great Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. The treasure disappeared soon after the sacking of the city, some believe it's buried near the border town of Juarez. The legend relates that the Aztec Sun God put a curse on that treasure. All who seek it will find only madness in their own perdition. This avaricious madness has come to be known as... the Call of Juarez."

The Lost Gold of Juarez was an ancient Aztec treasure, lost after the sacking of the capital city of Tenochtitlan by the Spanish. Rumors claimed that a conquistador buried the treasure near the border town of Juarez, Mexico, its location keyed by a medallion. Its legacy was passed on through many generations, and played a key role in the Call of Juarez series. The Gold of Juarez was said to be the collective ransom for Aztec ruler Montezuma II, following his capture by Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez in 1520. After the death of Montezuma and the fall of Tenochtitlan, the treasure was allegedly cursed by the Aztec sun god Huitzilopochtli, so that all who seek it find only madness; as generations of fortune seekers thus sought and failed to find the gold, its intoxicating allure came to be known as 'The Call of Juarez'.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
In 1866, Juan "Juarez" Mendoza promised Ray, William and Thomas McCall a portion of the treasure in exchange for eliminating Devlin, and afterwards the McCalls traveled with Juarez and his men to retrieve rifles, to trade to the Apache for the medallion. However, William revealed to their Apache guide Seeing Farther that the rifles were defective, which led to the deal being broken. Seeing Farther assisted Ray and Thomas in retrieving the medallion, because he believed that his father's wish to use it in order to start a war, would only result in the death of their tribe.

The medallion was later pilfered by Mendoza, in turn his mistress Marisa stole it from him, and fled with Thomas to seek out the treasure and leaving Ray to die at the hands of Juarez's men in his base. Enraged by the betrayal, Ray pursued the couple with William to an Aztec vault and confronted them resulting in a showdown with Thomas, only for William to intervene, and die by Ray's hand. They were then interrupted by ex-Confederate Colonel Barnsby, who followed them to the gold and intended to use it to rebuild the Confederate Army and reignite the Civil War. Somehow, a trap was triggered and the caverns began to fill with sand as the brothers killed Barnsby and his men. In the wake of William's sacrifice for their redemption, the three concluded the Gold of Juarez was indeed cursed, and abandon the vault. Marisa later would marry Thomas, and pass on the medallion to her son, Billy Candle.

Call of Juarez
After fleeing his abusive stepfather Thomas in 1882, Billy Candle returned from a fruitless two-year expedition for the Gold of Juarez, only to find his parents slaughtered. Reverend Ray McCall found him and assumed him to be the murderer, and began pursuing him.

Eventually the Reverend caught up with the young man at a bridge, and shot him. Injured, Billy was swept away by the river and his medallion was lost. He was later captured by Tom Manson and brought to the alcázar of Juan Mendoza, who revealed he was Billy's biological father, and that he was still searching for the Gold of Juarez. He took Billy's friend Molly Ferguson hostage, and gave him until sundown to produce the medallion, not believing that he'd lost it. Remembering the story his mother told him about the Gold of Juarez when he was young, and using his memory of the medallion, Billy located the Aztec vault and followed caverns to the Gold of Juarez. He was followed by Mendoza, who at long last had found the object of his desire. Believing Billy betrayed him, he ordered his men to kill him, and the young man was eventually faced with a dead end, but was saved by Reverend Ray.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel


By the year 2011, what remained of the Gold of Juarez had since been unearthed, and preserved in the National Museum in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. After the Mendoza Cartel's weapons supplier is revealed to be Michael Duke, head of the PMC Peacekeepers International, Detective Ben McCall's task force arranges a meeting with Duke, with DEA agent Eddie Guerra posing as Jesús Mendoza, son of cartel boss Juan Mendoza. However, Duke refuses the Cartel's cash as payment, instead declaring a new price -- the Gold of Juarez.

The treasure is stolen from the museum, and hidden in an old fort outside Juarez. After Antonio Alvarez assassinates Jesús during a hostage exchange between McCall and the Cartel, a bereaved Juan Mendoza reneges on the payment. Infuriated, Duke retaliates by assaulting Mendoza and his men in an attack helicopter at a cemetery; McCall's squad shoots him down and, after a car chase, corners Mendoza at his hacienda, moments before the druglord is killed by an aerial drone.

Trivia

 * In the Call of Juarez Extra Mission Showdown At Round Rock, the Gold of Juarez's model is seen in a bank's vault along with the bags of money used in multiplayer maps.
 * Eddie Guerra and Ben McCall both have a Secret Agenda pertaining to the Gold of Juarez. Ben McCall steals a large golden cross, and Eddie steals a golden goblet.


 * It is unknown what happened to the gold after the shooutout at the alcázar. Presumably it was returned to the Juarez National Museum.