Show cos treasure chesi an W 41 J a a f shaft of a mexican mine prepared by the he rint rhio go 80 clely biety washington 1 D C r MIE IE report that tho the worlds richest gold mine has been JL found recently in ill mexico even it if literally true would add only a chapter clin pter to medicos cos volume of mining history under spanish domination the country poured out it seemingly inexhaustible stream of wealth and save during acute political disturbances tur bances tile the flow ban con continued linued since cecil rhodes hodes ll who knew som something e of the mineral wealth of the world prophesied of mexico that from tier her hidden vaults tier her subterranean I 1 terra rican treasure asuro houses will come collie the gold silver copper and precious stones that will build tile the empires of tomorrow and ninko ninke future cities of this world veritable new jerusa lems Guanti guanajuato juato has been abo groat great treasure chest of mexico its huge supply of clivel was first tapped 08 18 years before the pilgrims landed in plymouth and by 1557 the wonderful mother lode the he veta madre had been found huron buron on a humboldt writing at the beginning of the eighteenth century asserted that guanajuato had yielded one fifth of the total amount of silver then current lu in tho the world the actual mint and government records allow a production of gold and silver from the madre in ex cx coss of one billion dollars but wo we are traveling too fust let us halt to get our bearings and locate till tills eldorado on the map then rest awhile and enjoy that which it has to offer the state of guanajuato Gunna juato Is in the south central part of the lie republic of mexico tho estimated population Is it Is tl the e most important mercantile center in the country the total trade being valued at per annum the lending leading industries are mining agriculture and cattle raising the city of guanajuato Guana junto capital of the state Is picturesquely situated nestling in a small basin surrounded on all sides aides by the sierra de guanajuato the canada de marill affords a pass to the city through the cordon of hills from the fertile valley lands of iliac a station on tho the line of tile the mexican central railroad 14 miles to the west the railroad grade from the rises rapidly following the tortuous course of the rio de guanajuato to an elevation of feet where poised high in the cordilleran plateau Is this historic city of people because of tho revolt and brigandage of recent years a wasted shadow of its former greatness scents scenes in guana guanajuato i bato in the soft sunshine of summer days the first vista of the city la Is striking indeed churches of magnificent proportions ancient and modern architecture strangely blended in the same edifice stately buildings imposing markets stores of all descriptions and dwelling places rudely bare variously colored with neutral tints of their gracei windows and open doors boora exhibiting to all the sparsely furnished interior where bird beast and human cat grid and live together the sordid squalor of the many contrasts strikingly with the oppressive opulence of the few ew the cobblestone streets are crooked and narrow so narrow in fact that caballeros cabal leroa must take to the sidewalk to permit of the passing of any kind of vehicle the dingy tram cars cara are drawn by relays of mules three abr abreast Vast beaten into subjection by the stinging lash or coaxed into action by the curses of tile the youthful drivers whose choso vertin vernacular cular Is wonderfully expressive and effective guanajuato Is a city rich in ili historic record in its mines in its nut nat ural rill beauty and in its architecture to to describe even briefly br lelly the many things of interest would occupy more splice ahn than could bo be riven given to this article but mention must be made 0 of f it few RA in juarez faces the plaza plara in the center of tile the city it Is an imposing pile perhaps out of Ite keeping with its surroundings but guanajuato Is a city wherein the picturesque and strictly practical are irreconcilably mixed together the do sign Is modern and highly decorative built of the locel gren green tuff MIT and sandstone the portico with its ight eight bronze figures Is homo borne on 12 ionic pillars tile tho imposing steps with stately flambeau nam henu the wrought iron grille work the foyer tile tho richly decorated interior by are truly magnificent cradle of liberty the do granaditas prison Is its as constantly full as the theater Is empty it la Is one of the most historic buildings of tile the republic and will always be remembered as aa tile tho place tile the first blow was struck for the liberation of mexico from spanish rule at each corner Is a large hook from which in the days of the struggle for independence were hung bling four iron cages containing the heads of the great liberators the patriot priest hidalgo ills military chief allende and his coin comrades kadeg aldama and jimenez here they hung for years until removed by a worshiping nation to the altar of 0 kings in the cathedral catli edral in the city of mexico after the de dolores and the first ringing of the bell of independence hidalgo and ills his followers moved on to guanajuato stormed the improvised pro fortress of Allion dign and killed all the spanish troops that had taken refuge there tills this was tile the beginning of the eleven years war of 0 independence on the summit of tile the cerro del to the west of the city Is the pantheon the four high walls walla surrounding the cemetery consist of vaults tier upon tier in which the rein remains of the dead are placed pro tern tem or in perpetuity according to the ability of the surviving relatives to pay the rent for a small fee the attendant will admit the visitor to the chamber of horrors A winding stair leads to the crypt where ghastly mummified remains are placed in a ghostly row the mining history of guanajuato vies with that of the nevada camps of our days only that instead of the unsubstantial mushroom growth typifying the american mining booms permanent and lasting monuments were raised and remain as mute though eloquent testimony of former industry and wealth in the year 1000 there were men at work along the mother lode A few years yearn later the sierra vein system was found the deepest shaft on the mother lode until very recent years was tile the tiro general at the valenciana Valen clana mine it was sunk by obregon at a cost of pesos apesos but the bonanza it uncovered yielded over three hundred times its cost it Is 1807 feet deep 32 feet in diameter octagonal in section and lined with solid masonry tor for the first feet in striking contrast to our modern shafts not a stick of timber was used to support the walls hoisting was ae ac complis hed by mule power V S |