The Nevada Democrat., 1859-09-07
NEVADA DEMOCRAT.


Novel Gold Discoveries In Central America.
The Panama Star received by the last mail
steamer, contains an account Of the discovery
of immense quantities of gold in the province
of Chiriqui The gold is found in the ''huacas',
or graves of a long buried race OF natives.
The people are Hoeking from all directions
to the novel diggings, and the yield of gold
from the ancient graves continues undiminish.
ed. An old Indian has discovered, while look
ing for earihenware and piedras de mOler that
the coffin of rudely Fixed stones in which the
bodies OF the dead aud gold images we're con.
fined, was placed two or three feet below the
earthenware, etc. aud that every huGea con-
tains gold valuables in greater or less humber.
This explains why, up TO the present time, so
few of the remains of the bodies had been found
on the graves. One man had taken out of one
grave on the same day 81 900 worth Of relics,
amongst which were three gold plates. the size
of dessert-plates, al eagle the size of span,
and many other representations Of animals. in-
sects, cts, beautifully manufactured. The old
man kept bis secret until he had accumulated
$4,000.
The place where the first discovery was
made is called Bugaba, situated on the other
side Of the river Piedra ON the road towards
the Costa Rica frontier, but as the whole of the
foot of the Cordileras in Chiriqui is full of
huGeds it will take many thousand people during
many years before the whole will be dug up.
The finding of SO much worked up gold in tle
hHdcds is a positive proof that the country must
be very rich in gold, aud have no doubt that
as soon as he above facts become known to The
real mining public, rich and extensive deposits
of the ore will be discovered.
A correspondent of the Star, writing from a
place called David" under date of August
I'd, says:
There has been much larger amount Of gold
taken from the "huacas" than any one in Pan
ANA has an idea of.
Some few white people have been into the
diggings, but most of the gold dug up 10 this
time has been taken out by Indians aud sold
for its weight in Plata. The Indians have found
much richer "Huacas" than any known by the
whites.
| do not think that any American should ex-
pect TO do much before the dry season, aud then
think twenty thousand men can take out for
tunes in short time Nearly every grave has
more or less gold in il, and AS there are many
thousand OF these graves, or "huacas," all over
the cOuElry. nothing is wanting but labor to
bring out the gold. The images are found from
two to four feet below the pottery, and the lat
ter is found some four feet below the surface.
No bones are found in the graves, and only
small traces of the human hair. / have pur-
chased some very curious articles OF pottery
aud gold. | think the aborgines valued cop
per more than gold, as all the copper images
are much finer wrought than those gold Many
of the articles bear unmistakable signs Of Chi
nese figures. Que gold image has "almond
eyeso peculiar to the Asiatic race.
There many singular stories brought in
by the Indians. All, or at least, most of them
are undoubtedly mere fabricatiOns
Que Iudian, who brought in some Fix pounds
of gold images, says that there is Sierra de
los Muertos" in the interior where the gold is
as plenty as rocks, and where the Indian kings
are all buried but no " bite man can 20 there.
as the Indians are very brave aud hate the pale
faces For a tin cup one Indian promised to
show Inc place where gold was in the rocks
as plenty AS the rock itself
have seen some gold dust and some gold
quartz. but not enough to make me believe that
any one has discovered the mines where the
gold was taken from, from which all these "hu-
acas" are filed. Que IUdian says that he can
take me in four days to u ruined city. where
the houses are built Of stone and some OF them
have gold nails in the walls, and where they
put gold pots 10 the graves larger than his head
but made large discount on what he said. AS
| bad Just given him drink Of pure American
brandy.
The quantity Of gold which comes in daily
proves beyond doubt that great quantities ex-
ist sOmew here near here.