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Show 1 SILVER MINES OP MEXICO Mexico, since its conquest by Cor tez in 1519, has produced a steads stream of silver. Although the possession pos-session of apparently inexhaustible stores of white metal has undoubtedly undoubted-ly brought some wealth to the nation na-tion It has brought infinitely more 'misery. It was for silver that the happy progressive Aztec people were enslaved and robbed by the Spaniard It was the Spanierd's lust for silver that worked the ruin of a smi-bar-barous civilization that had built 'great irrigation systems, massive temples, and beautiful cities. It was 'for silver (says the Salt Lake Tri-Ibune) Tri-Ibune) that the yoke of degradation and slavery was fastened for four 'centuries upon a once proud happy and free people. Spanish governors had a remarkable remark-able power of ferriting out the location loca-tion of the hidden wealth of their (conquered kingdom. The mines of 'Guanajuato and Zacatecas, which ,'had produced fabulous treasures of (gold and silver for the Aztecs and j the Toltecs, were soon discovered by the Spanish and developed.. On account ac-count of the cost of gun powder and lother supplies, and taxes which had to be paid to the crown, ore that would not produce over 100 ounces oun-ces of silver to the ton was not minted. min-ted. Guanajutao means the Hill of Frogs, so called because at one time it is said, a huge image of a frog, an I'object of worship among the natives stood at the top of the hill. Im-'mense Im-'mense deposits of silver were found here. Igneous rocks formed the superstructure su-perstructure of the great plateau 'which had been partly upheaved and 'partly overlaid by shales and limestone. lime-stone. Larger profit had been obtained by the demolition and reduction of the material contained in some of ithe old houses in the Chihuahua district. dis-trict. The methods of the natives 'were so primitive that much mineral miner-al was thrown away as dross after the reduction of the ore. In the absence of more convenient and j cheap building materials this slag; was used in the construction of the walls of these huts. j Strange tales are told of the wealth weal-th of the Spaniards who controlled these mines. It is said that the owner own-er of the Quinteca mine in the Alamos Ala-mos district, a Senior Almada, on the marriage of his daughter lined the bridal chamber of the palaclo with bars of the precious metal and paved the path to the church with the metal. Many of the churches of Mexico, ;which have been on account of their, architecture and the pricelesss val-l ue of their ornaments the wonder of the world, owe-their existence to a mine. The Baroyeca Church, built in 1792, was built with the wealth derived from the Mina Grande in the Baroyeca Mountains. Prior to i 1S50 the walls of the Sanaurio and the Transcoro were lined with sheets of the pure silver from the mine, the alter vessles were pure gold, the can-j delabra, the alter rails, and the other parts of the sanctuary were of silver. A great many of the lost mines of! Mexico were the result of the depre- -dations of the Yaqui Indians. Pros-1 pectors were killed or driven from the country by these savages, the marks of their workings were obliterated, oblit-erated, and a mine that had great possibilities lost to the world. For many years one of the mines of the Estrella del Norte Mining Co had been lost. The only clue to its location was found on an old Jesuit map which stated that the mine could be seen by looking in a given direction from a church door. The directions found on the map were 'followed. The hills for miles around in the given direction from the church chur-ch door were searched, but no mine was found. At last, long after sear ch had been abandoned, a wall that had been built around the church at a later date fell down and revealed another door whose existence had I been hidden. From this door the hills were searched with a powerful field gla-ss. a trace of the old workings work-ings was detected and the old mine was discovered. |