The Weekly Arizonian., 1870-05-07
THE WEEKLY ARIZONAN
MAY Y7.......-....-.....-..........l870
A sCRAP OF HTsTORY

4 SCRAP OF HISTORY.
 vsksn in connection with recent mining dis eogerics, the following scrap ofhislorv is G fsresting. h the year l749 Padre Yinegas n..l'ishedin in Spain book, translated into i.ng.sh in l750, giving wonderful account oftbe gold producing country iu Arizona near tle iuGct.on of the G.la and Colorado rivers -certsinly On the Glla. The Padre speaks Of the stores related by the inhabitants of rich mines and of golden uleusi of every possible kind being used in the houses of the Caciques, and gives good reasons why the information WAS wi.hheli from the Spanish Govern ment. The pr ests in those days were living ike pFin- ces at the several Missions and found 9 repeti- ton Of the times of Pizarro and Cortez. This book can only be found now at the British museum in London. and the Bibiotheque In" perial in Paris.-San Diego Union,
 The volume referred to, there can be but It. ile doubt, furnishes information which, if no: literally true, yet contains great amount of Is---y 'oe, --l ..s prcsen. e1IsIng among tLe natives and every monument of the past lend to corroEorete the statements pnrpoGted to have been made as shown in the above ex- tract Whence could have sprung the tens of thousands of gold and silver necessarily ex- pended in the erection Cf the Mission Of San Xavier del BAc if not from the treasures of the country? This edifce is to-day masterpiece of ornamental architecture after having with stood he wear and tear of centuries, during which no friendly hand was extended 10 re- p'ace even a square inch of plasteripg which e,.-.~i,t '.,,., r. n
 what source, if not from the treasures of the country, could have been procured the mil lions of gold na cesa4ry to tLe construction of the ,;iy va.ch once aouri5hed on the Giia Yalier and tho si.s S' which is no " marked by it's onlv reEoining building, tLs "Casa Blanca" ? 4 prominent writer speaking of thi' ruin says th's stands several stories in height, and 'oous far above every oojec, on ths plains around Tho streets of the city of wa'ch this ruin formed prominent part can b. traced by broken pieces of crocke-y-ware aal the elevation on each side. Immediately l back i' seen inc canal which conveyed water Co this city Of the Iaat, aud % the extended | field bordering upon the city below. And l waeace, if not from the mountalus of Arizona, i were procared the gold and silver expended in tho erection of the ancient cathedral Of Tubac, which almost rivals in external magaiGcence | sle fswoGs Mission cf San Xavier dej Bac. l before referred to. Spain, however fauatisal she may have been upon the subject of religion, ia her days of power, never furnished millions of gold fer the purpose oferccting among the nounteins ofArizona temples which might, today reflect creditupon thcir architects even II the worlds metropolis. No, 1t was Arizona that turaiohed all this treasure; recent dis. co'afisC .ead to this conclusion; History tells uf SO; Tradition tells us so and go bespeak inc Monuments Of the past, presented to the FleF of every traveller 4 single season of patient Perseye in the work of ofsearching ics the ocaiities whence so much wealth has been obtained, might sut5i.e to lay open treasures id richness and extent urprece- .dented in tue history of the world.