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History's Hinge - 'Ain Jalut

[Wopper]

Greetings History Hunters,
 
Now back to the subject of this topic. I will now give you
evidence of Jesuit involvement with mining.
 
The following is a summary of a letter I came across at
the archives of the Arizona State Museum, located at the
University of Arizona in Tucson.

Title PADRE MANUEL AGUIRRE AL PADRE PROVINCIAL FRANCISCO ZEVALLOS. EN LA MISION DE ACONCHI TIENE EL PADRE UN HERMANO SUYO QUE NO LE SIRVE DE MAYORDOMO.

Author(s) AGUIRRE, MANUEL (S.J.)

Date 03-01-1764

Documentation BACADEGUACHI. MARCH 1, 1764. 1P. LETTER. ORIGINAL. SIGNED.

Summary THE MAN IN QUESTION GAMBLES AND USUALLY LOSES. HE LIVES OFF MISSION SUPPLIES WHILE MINING, AND THE MISSION INDIANS WORK IN HIS MINE. AGUIRRE POSTULATES THAT THIS IS THE REASON WHY THE MISSION IS IN SUCH A SAD STATE. HE RECOMMENDS THAT ZEVALLOS FIND SOME PRETEXT TO REMOVE HIM TO SOME COLLEGE. (R. PEREZ) (1977)

Persons AGUIRRE, MANUEL (S.J.)/ZEVALLOS, FRANCISCO (PROVINCIAL, S.J.)

Places BACADEGUACHI (MISION)/ACONCHI (MISION)

Keywords MINES (REGULATION)/MISSION ADMINISTRATION/LABOR FORCE (INDIANS)/LABOR FORCE (MINING)

Subjects MINING/MISSIONS/SOCIAL-ORGANIZATION/ADMINISTRATIVE AFFAIRS

First Location AZTM. JESUIT HIST. INST. AMER. DIV., TUCSON.

Now here is Manuel Aguirre's Bio.

AGUIRRE, JESUS MANUEL 
Birth 1715 May 14: HABLITAS, ESPANA 
Death 1768 Nov 25: MAGDALENA, JALISCO 
Ethnicity ESPANOL 
Occupation 1735: N.P./(ENTERED SOCIETY) S.J.
1748: SONORA-BAVIACORA/S.J. 
1748: CABORCA/S.J. 
1749 - 1767: BACADEHUACHI/S.J. 
1763 - 1767: SONORA/VISITADOR GENERAL DE MISIONES

Here we have Manuel Aguirre S.J. who at the time of this letter is the Visitor General of the Missions of Sonora, complaining to the Provincial about a man who is using Mission Indian's and supplies for mining purposes.  Although Aguirre is the Visitor General of the Missions of Sonora, he appears powerless to do anything about the ongoing mining activities. Furthermore, he is requesting that the man in question be removed to some college. This implies that the man in question is involved to some degree with the Society of Jesus. I have to ask "why is he there in the first place?" Obviously he either has permission, or he has been ordered there to do the mining from a much higher authority.

Sincerely,

Wopper

[Bart]

Very good Wopper;

It would be difficult to get around your summarization of this incident. Who might the subject  have been gambling with, and for what (stakes)? Is it known historically how gambling was usually conducted in this sort of place and time? It does appear that the subject would most likely be a trained scholar of some sort in order to be recommended for removal to a college.

Have you any historic follow-up for this particular incident? Is the mission in question identified? If answering that compromise something you are working on, then I would understand your not answering.

In the big picture of the legend of Jesuit secret mining, it has been said that shiploads of gold/silver have made it back to the Old World. Where would it have ultimately ended up, and where is it today? Short of reading 100 or more books, can you give us a short overview of this fascinating subject?

Bart

[Fleamistress]

I believe the point here is that we have a padre writing about mining and missions--demonstrating a Jesuit interest in mining.  "Gambling" might be a way of saying screwing up.  Unfortunately I can't review Wopper's post while I write this, but I believe the letter cautiously doesn't state that the mission and the mine are the same entity; rather that this miner is using and abusing the indians.  The Jesuits were told to communicate in such a way as to not threaten their operations; no?

I think that is what Wopper is saying.  Bear in mind that I either have ADHD or a brain that goes faster than my ability to read and recall, especially when excited.

[Fleamistress]

Wopper:

I am humiliated to say that I can't see the star per se.  I see what might be the star but really your word is good with me.  I see something else tho'--a face.  Do you?

[Fleamistress]

Mike:

Fascinating post and pic.

Desert varnish.  Brilliant!  I was going to say any idiot can see those boulders were placed there; but without the varnish...

How thick is this type of mineralization?  Is it ever black?  Anybody have a sample chip to spare?

Oh, and "Mission Mine?"  Think that's a coincidence?

[Wopper]

Howdy Cyn, and Bart,
 
First let me thank you for your interest, and replying to my post.
 
All of the information I'm about to put forward comes directly from the horses mouth, which in this case is from the writings of Charles W. Polzer S.J.
 
It was strictly forbidden by Spanish law for the Padres to engage in mining of precious metals. There were also very clear rules and precepts laid down by the Farther Provincial, which were periodically updated when necessary, or when another Farther took over as the Provincial. In Farther Polzers's book titled Rules and Precepts of the Jesuit Missions of Northwestern New Spain, from about the 1680's on there are two rules in particular that stand out from the others for having to be readdressed. That in itsself, implies an obvious ongoing problem of noncompliance of some of the Padres within the Order. One of the rules pertains to mining, and the other one surprisingly pertains to gambling.
 
The first rules that were put forth addressing these problems were simple one line sentence's, and read as follows;
 

No one will play cards either with ours or with extern's.
 
No one can work at mining.

 
It appears that some clever Jesuits found loopholes, which gave them a way around both of these rules. I say this because of the new rules and precepts that Farther Provincial Andes Xavier Garcia, and his Consultors found necessary to put forth on June 25, 1747.
 

Rule #3. No one will play cards either with Ours or extern's. This precept extends to any of Ours betting, although only looking on at a card game being played by laymen.
 
Rule #4. No one will work mines. This includes the prohibition that no one will have any knowledge about the matter of mining, either directly or indirectly. The intention of the precept is to include all forms of knowledge or interpretations that could even fall within the same precept.

 
It is obvious that rule #3 was needed because of sideline betting. No matter how you want to slice it, dice it, or cut it, it appears that some Padres were involved with gambling, and it was an ongoing problem.
 
That brings us to rule #4. The first thing I want to say is "what?" The next thing I want to say is "wow!" A good portion if not a majority of the Padres stationed in northern Sonora were German, and highly educated. All of them who wrote books about their time in Sonora, talk about mines, mining, being in mines, how to process ore, and the process of smelting and refining precious metals. Furthermore, all of these books were written after 1747!
 
This brings us back to Visitor General Manuel Aguirre, and his letter written in 1764. complaining about the man in question.

THE MAN IN QUESTION GAMBLES AND USUALLY LOSES. HE LIVES OFF
MISSION SUPPLIES WHILE MINING, AND THE MISSION INDIANS WORK IN
HIS MINE. AGUIRRE POSTULATES THAT THIS IS THE REASON WHY THE
MISSION IS IN SUCH A SAD STATE. HE RECOMMENDS THAT ZEVALLOS FIND
SOME PRETEXT TO REMOVE HIM TO SOME COLLEGE.

The fact of the matter is this letter implies complicity, and directly implicates the Jesuits being involved with mining.

Sincerely,

Wopper

[Wopper]

Hi Cyn,

I hope this will help.

Sincerely,

Wopper

[Fleamistress]

Bart,

We're about to become excommunicated again:

Quote

No one will play cards either with ours or with extern's.


Wopper--

Oh you mean the orbital socket just below the pronounced cranium and above the pronounced cheekbown of the guy whose nose is pointing, er, that a way --->  ?

Regards,

[Wopper]

By golly Cyn, I think you got it!

Wopper

[Fleamistress]

By golly Cyn, I think you got it!

Wopper

Piece of cake.  The reason I missed the comet-like tail was because it is in orbitus.

HAR HAR HAR HAR.  I crack myself up.

[Bart]

Hi guys;

Cyn, we will have to renounce our vows to the order then, I will not give up Party Poker. BTW, you got the wrong star, there are two stars in the pic. Wopper doesn't want you to figure out where the treasure is. It is the other star that points to the treasure. Who else saw the second star? Now watch, whoever doesn't answer that question will be the one who saw it and is on his way to snatch the treasure for himself. We will have to keep an eye on this Wopper guy, already he is being devious.

Seriously, there are two stars there. Is having two stars significant Wopper? Were you aware of the two stars?

I am not 100% convinced about this shadow stuff. unless these shadows are seen along a major trail or some other well defined or specifically identified location or time, chance will allow one to see all sorts of shapes and shadows in myriad places out in rock country. In fact, I know of one person on another forum that has posted hundreds of similar pics with claims that they are of this or that, and carved by humans in ancient times. Fortunately, no one else can see the things she sees, nonetheless, the person screams archaeological cover-up because they won't agree with her.

I am not claiming you are doing anything of the sort here Wopper, I am just saying I am a skeptic so far on one aspect of your claims. So far you have done exceedingly well, in my view, on providing historical documentation on Jesuit mining.

Nor am I stating your shadow claims are false, I just want to make things clear here so as not to offend. If you have the time and inclination to post more convincing data on the shadow aspect, I would be more than pleased to read it. However, I would rather see more historical documentation regarding the Jesuit mining, perhaps a list of titles and authors on the German Jesuits, and that sort of thing, because it will begin to change history. Are there any instances that you are aware of where the books you refer to show known past mine locations? Anything of historic nature that you can provide without compromising your projects would be greatly appreciated.

mucho agradece

Bart

[Wopper]

I forgot to put up a set of photos of the exact same area, showing the difference between shadow and no shadow.

Bart, I believe what you are calling a second star, is what looks like a star behind the star in the smaller photo. Take another look at this photo, do you still see a second star?

Wopper

[Jesus of Lubeck]

Hello Whopper, Cyn, and Bart,

I have been following the discussion of the Jesuit mines with a great deal of interest and applaud the use of primary sources applied to the topic recently.  With respect to the Jesuit involvement in mining it might be worth pinning down the meaning of involvement.  Certainly the Jesuit order was involved in mining, particularly in Sonora, in so far as the Jesuit missions produced much of what was sold to the reales de minas.  Such indirect involvement in mining was a very well-honed Jesuit economic tactic.  The order was unusually astute in exploiting any market proximate to a mission establishment.

I think Whopper�s primary sources address the problem of mining involvement directly and for the most part, I would concur with his summary of the evidence, but there remains the task of placing the Father Aguirre�s 1764 letter into an 18th century Sonoran context and perhaps there are additional shades of nuance within this letter worth pursuing.  Whopper was kind enough to provide this citation:

Title PADRE MANUEL AGUIRRE AL PADRE PROVINCIAL FRANCISCO ZEVALLOS. EN LA MISION DE ACONCHI TIENE EL PADRE UN HERMANO SUYO QUE NO LE SIRVE DE MAYORDOMO.

Documentation BACADEGUACHI. MARCH 1, 1764. 1P. LETTER. ORIGINAL. SIGNED.

Summary THE MAN IN QUESTION GAMBLES AND USUALLY LOSES. HE LIVES OFF MISSION SUPPLIES WHILE MINING, AND THE MISSION INDIANS WORK IN HIS MINE. AGUIRRE POSTULATES THAT THIS IS THE REASON WHY THE MISSION IS IN SUCH A SAD STATE. HE RECOMMENDS THAT ZEVALLOS FIND SOME PRETEXT TO REMOVE HIM TO SOME COLLEGE. (R. PEREZ) (1977)

As I read this summary, Father Aguirre, the Visitor General, is reporting to the Father Provincial, Francisco Zevallos, that a Jesuit mission father at Aconchi is not managing the economy of the mission estate as the Society of Jesus expects (EN LA MISION DE ACONCHI TIENE EL PADRE UN HERMANO SUYO QUE NO LE SIRVE DE MAYORDOMO.)

This wayward Jesuit is accused of gambling, and adding to the Visitor General�s disgust, the offending Jesuit frequently loses.  The Visitor General also points out that �mission Indians work in HIS [the Aconchi Father�s] mine.�  Aguirre does not state that the mission Indians are working in OUR mine, if the mine were the communal property of the Jesuit order, this would not provoke a comment from the Visitor General neither would the allocation of native labor to such a communal asset.  Compulsory native labor, and the supervision of this labor in pursuit of the mission�s agricultural production, was a key sanctioned element of the Jesuit mission system in Sonora.  A Jesuit father was expected to spend a great deal of his time managing these human assets and ensuring that crop planting, harvesting, stock raising, and production of products like tallow and leather proceeded to the general advantage of the mission. 

It is possible to conclude from the Aguirre letter that the behavior of the Jesuit Father attached to the Aconchi mission was unacceptable and therefore noteworthy of report to the Father Provincial.  Such a reading, albeit based on only a summary, would dovetail very nicely with Whoppers other primary source, if I may be permitted to quote again:

In Farther Polzers's book titled Rules and Precepts of the Jesuit Missions of Northwestern New Spain, from about the 1680's on there are two rules in particular that stand out from the others for having to be readdressed. That in itsself, implies an obvious ongoing problem of noncompliance of some of the Padres within the Order. One of the rules pertains to mining, and the other one surprisingly pertains to gambling.

Whopper then moves ahead and specifically states the rules and argues to advantage that there certainly was an ongoing problem of clerics surreptitiously engaging in the vices of mammon and gambling.

It has also been noted that many of the Sonoran Jesuit missionaries were German and one among these German Jesuits in Sonora left a very clear account of his years in this frontier outpost of New Spain.  Ignaz Pfefferkorn served as a Jesuit Father from 1756 until the expulsion of the order in 1767.  His writings convey in very good detail the economic functions of a Jesuit Sonora mission during this period.

Of interest among the facts that Pfefferkorn reports is that the King of Spain subsidized each of the Jesuit missionaries in Sonora directly from the treasury of New Spain and this amounted to about 300 pesos per annum for each Jesuit in the Sonoran mission stations.  This stipend was not gravy, Pfefferkorn reports that much of this sum was expended in freight charges for materials and goods sent from Mexico City to Sonora (6 pesos for every 25lbs carried along this route).  Thus the economic productivity of each Sonora mission was a crucial responsibility.

Pfeffkorn also reports that much of the missionary�s income was spent on church decorations, white wax candles (Sonoran wax blackened church decorations), and wine.  Sonora could not produce any quantity of ecclesiastical wine (this was a huge financial drain on these Catholic missions).  Because of these expenses and the shortfall arising from the Imperial Spanish subsidy, Pfefferkorn reports that the Sonoran missions placed a major importance on trade with the Sonoran mining settlements.  Pfefferkorn was very sensitive to the involvement of the Jesuit order in this trade and his writings on the subject contain this entry on trade with the mining settlements:

If one wishes to describe as trade the fact that we took the surplus of our field produce and animals to the Sonora dwellings of the Spanish miners, and sent to the City of Mexico the gold and silver received to buy goods needed by us and the Indians, I must admit that we engaged in the Sonora trade.  I regret only that because of the exceedingly high prices of all goods, all the profits of this trade were gained by the Mexican merchants, and ultimately the Spanish merchants.  Had this trade not been so very disadvantageous to us, we would have been able to procure for missionaries and for Indians many comforts which were done without [translated by Theodore E. Treutlein]

The small amount of written evidence so far analyzed suggests that the Jesuit order did not sanction the ownership and operation of mines in Sonora by the order and its missions.  However, it seems clear that individual Jesuits engaged in mining activities counter to the regulations set down by the order.  Also clear from the sources is the fact that the Jesuit missions in Sonora were indirectly involved the mining economy and traded heavily with mining settlements.  Tales of Jesuit treasure could easily stick to a missionary selling surplus products in mining settlements and carrying out gold and silver metal in exchange.

Nice work with your source material Whopper and an equally nice job on your posts.

Source:

The Economic Regime of the Jesuit Missions in Eighteenth Century Sonora
Theodore E. Treutlein
The Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 8, No. 3. (Sep., 1939), pp. 289-300.


Very Best Regards,

Lubby

[Tayopa]

Good morning Lubby:

  I agree in so far as the present written records go, but since I (we) will be rewriting  history as it actually was,  we will differ. I cannot give you any previous published data to refer to, only my research, and this without revealing my sources.   Obviously if I differ with the present records, I cannot use them as  reference points,  no?

For the moment, let's assume that I am right, evidence, plus rediscovering the lost Legendary Tayopa mines, tends to verify  and substantiate this.

Yet, I can say flatly, yes, the Jesuit society was engaged in mining,   It was critical for the Society 's survival, This is where they were able to secure  the valuables that they were known to freely hand out to those that had favors and services they needed or wanted, including a very efficient spy system in the  court.

It is patently obvious that the lonely missions did not, or could they supply this, so where did it come from?  They  also maintained colleges etc, where mining technology was taught.  Many of the resident Eng's of the larger mines around Mexico city etc were run by Jesuits Eng's,, in civilian clothes naturally.  It was only a small step to start clandistinly mining for the Societies benefit, which they did.

One must remember, the society was divided into many echelons, the poor mission priest was at the bottom.  He starved or glutted with his group.  The professional Jesuits were generally separate from them and had little or no contact.

This was particularly evident with the mining Engr's.  They remained aloof from the others.  The local mission priest did not know that the nearby civilian miners were many times alsoJesuits.

The mines also were producing large quantities of metal which was being stockpiled  to finance a take over of the Americas from Spain in collaboration with the Dutch.  This was the actual reason for the simultaneous arrest order for the Jesuits, but they knew months in advance due to their efficient, well paid, spy system. and were ready.

The poor  mission Jesuit was left  as a sacrificial goat in order to hide the extent of their spy stem.  Only the mission and local College Jesuits were rounded up under the Royal expulsion order.

I will show the path of the movement of Gold and Silver to the vicinity of Matamorros  and then to Rome soon.  Because of ongoing things at Tayopa, I must hold back for the present.

The day that I finally receive the permits, I can then freely publish it here. 

My associate was a Jesuit college graduate, but did not take the vow.  He had an audience with the then no 2 of the Society in Rome where it was freely and jokingly admitted that the take over plot was true, but "We now know better, we do not do that type of thing any more",

As time goes you will be convinced that present records  are at great odds with actual history, and need to be rewritten..

Don Jose de La Mancha

[Jesus of Lubeck]

Hello Se�or Don Jose,

Thank you again for your insights on an historical problem containing many layers and complexities.  You raise very interesting points that all readers and researchers must hold in the balance as they weigh the evidence.  New Spain, in its recorded history, is a region where history intertwines with folklore and knits a fabric as colorful as it is fabulous. 

I do think that you make a sound point that the sources so far discussed in this thread originate at an operational level of the Society of Jesus� hierarchy.  This of course limits whatever casual conclusions put I put forward on the basis of this class of source material to the confines of what these 18th century writers knew of their order and its operations.  I grant that an entirely different picture may emerge on the basis of a different set of primary sources from a higher level in the Jesuit hierarchy.  I am very interested in how this discussion progresses and look forward to more presentations of materials related to the question at hand.

Also worth observing, it is clear that without the presence of the Jesuit missions in Sonora, the mining camps would have been without any regular logistic support, particularly with respect to food.  It does not appear that the points of view expressed by the various writers on this HH topic are too far apart. It should also be remarked that there were other very important reason for the Jesuits to maintain missions in Sonora with respect to the Gila Pimas and the Papagos to the south.  These indigenous tribes, friendly to Imperial Spain for the most part, were the only successful native groups mounting resistance to Apache aggression in the Pimeria Alta and Sonora area of the New Spain frontier.

By way of aside, I would be very grateful for any information related to traditional folktales discussing the secret wealth and lost treasure of the Sonora Jesuit missions.  I was fortunate study with an anthropologist whose expertise is the folklore of India.  It is usually possible to trace various versions of the same tale to certain sources of origin. So this is something of a side interest.

I am not fully versed in the historiography of this problem and will certainly rely and defer to others with greater knowledge and experience here.

Very Best Regards,

Lubby