In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, what artifact does Indiana Jones recover from Panama Hat?

In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones recovers the Cross of Coronado from the criminal known as Panama Hat.

The sequence opens the film in 1912, showing Indiana as a teenager during an attempt to reclaim the cross from a group of grave robbers. The artifact becomes an early example of his determination to preserve historical objects rather than let them disappear into private collections.

The cross is fictional, but its presentation fits the film’s broader use of legendary or religious artifacts. The opening adventure also supplies details later echoed in Indiana’s adult character, including his fear of snakes and his distinctive fedora. The adult Indiana eventually wears the same hat style associated with the character throughout the series.

Panama Hat is not the principal villain of the film; he is the treasure hunter who possesses the cross at the beginning. The main Grail story then shifts from the American Southwest to Europe and the Middle East.