Sword of Cortés

The Sword of Cortés was a mystical, cursed weapon used by Hernán Cortés during his conquest of the Aztec empire. The Sword's power was derived from its combination with a scabbard, made from the innards of Aztec sacrifices.

History
The Sword was first wielded by Cortés against the Aztecs, and such was its power, it rendered its user unstoppable in battle. It also convinced the Aztecs that Cortés was the god Quetzalcoatl returned to them in human form. However, the Sword was believed to have contributed to the conquistador's downfall, following the loss of the scabbard. This gave rise to the saying, "the loss of the scabbard will cause kingdoms to scab over." Cortés' power base in Mexico deteriorated, and he was ultimately defeated.

Both the Sword and its sheath eventually fell into the hands of Stone-Eyed Sam, who used the combined power to rule over Isla Esquelética in the Caribbean. The legend of the Sword caught the attention of Davy Jones, during his time as ruler of the sea, and he struck a deal with Captain Torrents to procure it, marking the man with the sign of Quetzalcoatl, mimicking that found on the scabbard.

Jack Sparrow and the crew of the Barnacle also set out to find the Sword, after Sparrow stole its scabbard from Torrents, whom Sparrow later marooned on Isla Esquelética. By this time, Left-Foot Louis had taken the Sword from Stone-Eyed Sam, whose kingdom had been devastated through the Sword's power. Jack caught up with Louis on Isla Fortuna, where Arabella Smith used the Sword to make Louis vanish into another dimension (or so she thought at the time). Jack and Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III recited an incantation found in the coffin of Francois, which summoned the spirit of Cortés himself. The phantom taught Jack how to use the Sword, though was actually furthering his own agenda, and planned to once again wield the Sword to take control of the world.

Cortés was finally defeated when Jack released the spirit of the conquistador's nemesis, Mexocuhzuma, from the eye of Stone-Eyed Sam. Jack gave the Sword up to Tia Dalma, who placed it in her shack for safe-keeping.