MacDougal grabs a handful of trade beads from a bag to give to the natives. when he first grabs them, they are a jumble of tangled beaded necklaces, then they are mysteriously transformed into an orderly row of necklaces lined up on his hand.
Authentic nonsense of film and novel on which it is based, zero in history. Guatemala was the colonial territory of New Spain, of the Spanish Empire that dominated the world. Therefore a Frenchman could not go there to seek and take any treasure.
The actor who plays young Jean-Paul is clearly of mixed race and cannot possibly represent his supposed all-white lineage.