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Treasure hunting with direct-arrival transmission imaging	1703
Stonehenge	1102
Archaeology assessor's kit	1071
The Industrial Role of Copper at Jamestown	1065
Projectile Points from Jamestown	1042
Magnetism - The First Records	1042
Origins of Oysters at James Fort	1041
Arlington Report	989

[Diving Doc]

In the Year of Our Lord, 1538, Sr. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado penned a document to the Spanish Viceroy Mendoza and wrote, "the natives of Topira {as recorded in early accounts but better known by the name Tayopa} wear gold, emeralds and other precious stones. In covering their houses they make common usage of gold and silver. Their chiefs wear from their necks finely crafted gold chains."

Ever since, treasure hunters have searched the hidden fastness of the Sierra Madres in the north of Mexico for the tears of the Sun and Moon. Now, for more than three hundred and fifty years the repository of this treasure has remained a secret of history. One of the many true tales of Treasure in the Southwest of America.
Cheers,
Doc

[Solomon]

You have my full attention here, Doc. I know nothing of this and it sounds very exciting.

Solomon

[Tayopa]

HOLA  I am quite familiar with the Tayopa story.  It is considered the King Solomons mines of the Americas.

It was discovered in the late 1500's,  then  worked until the Indian revolution in the Sierras in about 1630.  After the revolt was suppressed, they were unable to find it again.  The Indians, and they themselves, had hidden it. too well.

Since then, it has been looked for by hundreds of seekers, with no success, many have  died in the search.

 It lies in north Western Mexico in the Barranca country, a zone that still has vast areas of no law, or roads.  Quite similar to when the Jesuits originally penetrated them  looking for metal and converts.

If you are interested, I will post the story to date.

[Diving Doc]

In January of The Year of Our Lord, 1646, the Right Reverend Father Guardian Fray, Francisco Villegas y Orosco, Royal Vicar-General of the Royal and Distinguished Jesuit Order of St. Ignacio de Tayopa, and Jesuit of the Great Faculty of Sonora and Biscalla, whom may God keep for long years made true and positive description of the treasures of Our Lady of Guadelupe de Tayopa."
 
It is beyond belief, but the Jesuits didn't lie and these notes are in keeping in the Vatican today.
Cheers,
Doc

[Diving Doc]

This is the description of the treasure that was hidden when the bloodshed began.
"Six bells cast in 1603 by the Right Reverend Father Ignacio Maria de Retana. Four are inscribed Tayopa, one is inscribed Remedios, and the last is inscribed Piedad. One gold and silver crucifix. Two Silver chalices and twelve gold communion patens. Four gold and silver thuribles. A pair of large silver candlesticks. One large silver tabernacle. A shrine with silver columns. [In addition to these holy treasures were buried 7 tons of refined silver, 1.25 tons of refined gold and another three tons of high grade ore.] It is also recorded that a cut stone box containing precious stones was buried beneath the floor of a stone and mud hut erected between the church and the convenient and close by the orchard.

Try and put a price on that if you can. Truly a fortune that is yet unfound. Tell us the tale Jose.
Cheers,
Doc
 

[Solomon]

I look forward to learning more.

Doc: ...these notes are in keeping in the Vatican today.
It would be interesting to know exactly what is referenced on this in the Vatican archives.

The attachment may be of some interest.

Solomon

[Diving Doc]

Solomon,
I do wish Mike would ring in on this topic as he has Vatican connections, if I remember properly, and might be better able to answer your questions. I need to state that I am quoting a written account that I have not seen the supporting archival reference for. As to your account re: Hartman, I do believe Jose was personally acquainted with the man back in his days with the U.S. Border Patrol. We shall await further clarification.
Cheers,
Doc

[Gollum]

OH, I'm here.

The Archive Secretary of the Archivio Segreto Vaticano was very polite, and answered much of what I had asked, but did not get into much of the detailed information I needed. He did, however give me introduction to the two other Archives I wanted. Those of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and the Propaganda Fides (since 1988= Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples). The Fide was responsible for organizing ALL missionary work around the world since 1622. They also house most of the documentation of the missionaries around the world as well.

The reason I wanted in those three archives, was because two of King Charles III's biggest reasons for the Jesuit expulsion from the New World was 1. that they were secretly amassing gold and silver without properly advising the King. and 2, they were getting very powerful. More powerful than the Governors, who were getting jealous (and scared). In 1767, when word got out that the Jesuits were being rounded up, many of the mines were sealed and their locations hidden. By 1768 or 1769, when the Franciscans finally started making it out to the distant missions, they found no mines, and most of the Indios had reverted to their original state, and had moved away from the haciendas, and missions. I think that since the maps and mining documentation never made it to the Palaces of Governors in either Santa Fe or Mexico City (for the King), then there is a very good chance that they went to the church instead. Since the Franciscans didn't reopen most of the mines, that tells me that the supporting documentation remained with the Society of Jesus, somewhere in their archives.

The American (P. Thomas Reddy SJ) who was working as Archive Secretary for the Society of Jesus (right down the street from the Archivio Segreto Vaticano), was very helpful. He was the one that told me no maps existed at that archive. He sent me a book that listed EVERY Jesuit Archive in the world ( addresses, numbers, exactly what each archive contains, date ranges of archived information, etc). He also asked that when in Rome, I should stop in and he would let me look through what they had on hand there. If I hit any Jesuit Roadblocks, I think I could wrangle a letter of introduction from Father Reddy.

The Propaganda Fide (or Agenzia Fides) have not been extremely helpful. I have yet to reach the Archive Secretary. I think that this would be the richest source of Church Information.

One thing I have found while conversing with these church people is that either they are good liars, or many of them genuinely don't know how involved the church was in the day to day mining operations in the New World. Many of them truly believe that the Priests jobs only had to do with tending the souls of the recently converted Indios. This could work in my favor though. It may get me access to things I could not get if they knew what the church really did.

Best,

Mike

[Diving Doc]

What an absolutely outstanding post of Historical fact!
Thanks greatly,
Cheers,
Doc

[Solomon]

One thing I have found while conversing with these church people is that either they are good liars, or many of them genuinely don't know how involved the church was in the day to day mining operations in the New World.

It takes all sorts 

Sol

[Gollum]

It takes all sorts 

Sol

Yes. That is true, but you want to believe what a member of the clergy tells you! I grew up KNOWING that I should trust the word of the Police and the Clergy. Both were there to help and do good.  It took years of bad press and learning history for me to get a little jaded! After all, I did see "DaVinci Code!"

Best,

Mike

[Bart]

What exactly are you searching for? Tayopa (Jose) has done much of this research, assures me has has relocated the Tayopa mines, and currently has a 50 year lease on them. RT, if I am mistaken, please set the record straight. And please tell of about your upcoming book on this subject.

[Gollum]

I look forward to learning more.

Doc: ...these notes are in keeping in the Vatican today.
It would be interesting to know exactly what is referenced on this in the Vatican archives.

The attachment may be of some interest.

Solomon

I'm not quite sure you got the answer to this question in my long form, but I will answer it specifically here:

The Jesuits were KNOWN to have many mines (gold and silver) in the New World.
They made maps to those mines.
When they got word of the expulsions, they sealed up the mines, and hid any evidence of their existence.
When the Franciscans came to the missions, the Indians were gone, and they could never find the mines.

Those facts tell me one thing. That the maps were not sent to either the King or the Vatican. If the Vatican would have had the maps, they would have given them to the Franciscans. If the King or Governors would have had the maps, they would have given them to the Franciscans (or opened them up themselves). I am convinced that the maps lie somewhere in some archives of the Jesuit Order. Now, the question is: Do they know about the maps and are keeping them secret, or do they just not know about them?

Best,

Mike

[Solomon]

Very good, Mike. I would suggest that a search for the maps could start with examining the chain of events, starting with the making of them. How do we know the Jesuits had mines? As they were in that area for centuries before 1767, there would have been reports produced and sent regularly, along their chain of command. Do we know where these are?

Solomon

[Gollum]

I would say that these are ample evidence of jesuit Mining.



You will notice that they carry the mark of the Jesuits (Cross with "V"), and the name "KINO" As in Padre Eusebbio Kino. These were part of a hoard recovered when a man in 1983 found approximately three hundred pounds of gold and silver SouthWest of Tuscon, Az. He gave the story to "Treasure: magazine, in three separate artocles, over three years. Like an idiot, he allowed his picture to be included in one of the articles holding some bars.

Somebody who he rubbed the wrong way, acknowledged his identity to the IRS (Internal revenue Service), who, in turn went after the man, and took everything he had. I know somebody that knows him, and he is a sour person. He never found out who it was that ratted him out, so he doesn't know who he can trust. Supposedly there is a lot more treasure where he found the first, but he won't go to the area any more for fear of being under surveillance.

I'll post the entire story tonight.

Best,

Mike