Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-03-27
POTENT IN AFFAIRS OF The HEART
Mines Now in Operation in This Terri
tory and the Methods Used in TAX
ing the Gem from It's Hiding
Place Beneath the Surface
of the Earth.

tact with certain solids and fluids, changes
color. Thus it has come to be consulted
as an omen, and endowed with magic
and talismanic properties-virtues which
it has retained to great extent up te
the present day. OF course many of the
grosser superstitions connected with
turquois have disappeared and are now
TO be found only in time-stained volumes
of the Fifteenth, Sixteenth and Seven
teenth centuries. Others have survived
time and the spread of intelligence, and
are as potent today as in the past.
Persian soldiers prize this stone as a
protection against oontagion, as do the
Indians of New Mexico, aud Russian
officers carry it for its supposed efficacy
against the fatal effect of wounds re-
ceived in battles. The monarchs of
the east wear tur quols amulets, and
also use it in decorating horse trap.
pings, swords, ETC., and everywhere
throughout eastern countries it is be-
lieved to protect the wearer against
disease and insure him speedy triumph
over his enemies in war. In affairs of
the heart too, it was and is held as a
charm of great potency, and in this re-
gard the Indians of New Mexico hold an
opinion exactly similar to that enter
tained by their more enlightened brothers
of the east.
The stone they say is composed of
animalculae, having the closest affinity
with the wearer. AS long as love lives
in the heart of the person receiving the
gift, 50 long the stone retains it's bril-.
liant color. But with decline of affec-
tion, the animal life of the stone ex.
periences a corresponding decline and
finally dies with the love of the wearer.
Hence the change of color. This is held
as safeguard against any possible de-
ception on the part of the lady. When
the stone begins to lose its azure blue
and take on green tint, the fond lover
heed not ask his queen if. her love ia
growing cold. He simply oonsults the
gift stone, which is true register of her
feelings.
On the same principle, the turquois,
according to the belief of many, changes
color with the decline of the wearer's
health. About the middle of the Six.
teenth century, Spanish lapidary named
DeVargas, wrote a learned treatise on
precious stones, from which is extracted
the following:
zone OF my relatives had turq uois
which he had set in ring of gold, and
wore on his finger as superior orna-
ment. It chanced that he was seized
with malady and gave up his life. Dur
ing the whole time in which he enjoyed
his full health the stone was distinguished
for its beauty and clearness, but no
sooner was he taken i'll, than it COM
menced to fade, and upon his death it as.
sumed withered lifeless green color,
as though mourning for its master. r
r."
Coming down to our own times, GER
tain facts are known to observers and ex-
perts concerning this stone, upon which
we're, no doubt, constructed the myths
and superstitions of credulity. Lapi.
daries are we'll aware that the brilliancy
of turquois depends to great extent
upon the weather, also that certain per-
sons cannot wear the stone without caus.
ing it to deteriorate, in many cases, never
to be restored to it's original brilliancy.
Only short time since New York ply
sician remarked that he had seen a
valuable turquois ring entirely ruined on
the finger of a man who had been stricken
with an attack of typhoid fever.
Turquois is found in Persia, Saxony
and New Mexico. The Saxony product
is of an inferior grade, is found in red
sandstone, and is 80 sensitive that most
of II ls ruined on the lapldary's wheel.
Practically all the turquois of the world
has been taken from the mines of Persia
and New Mexico. The Persians call it
6rusa, and this is probably the callais of
Pliny. The Persian stone has chemical
composition represented by the formula
2A1.2 O 2 Pa O.5. 6H-2 0, and the shah
has for years controlled the output of the
mines of his country. allowing only gems
of an inferior quality to leave his collec.
tion, supposed to be the most valuable
in the world. According to report these
mines are about exhausted, and it may be
due to this fact that the industry in New
Mexico is receiving so much attention of
late. But from whatever cause, the fact
remains, that the production Of turquola
bids fair to become one of the leading In.
dustries of the territory. The Indian
name for this stone is Chalchuitl, and how
long the mines of New Mexico were OPP
Grated prior to the Spanish conquest is a
mere matter of speculation. That the
work was extensively carried on In a
dozen different localities is attested by
the implements unearthed in recent years
which we're used by the Indians before
the advantage Of steel or iron tools was
known to them. Near Cerrillos in the
southern part Of Santa Fe county there
10 section of mountainous country over
200 acres In extent, greater portion Of
which has been worked over in search OF
turquois. Here II was that the big
Chalchuitl mine csved upon its workmen,
and buried alive $50 natives, who were
worked in slavery BY Spanish masters.
II was this incident that caused the revo'
luton of 1851, when the Spanish we're
driven out Of the territory and forced to
remain away for q period Of ~ years
STRIVING to obliterate all memory ot
their hateful slavery, the natives filled up
every mine in the territory, destroyed
churches and even whole towns, in their
endeavors to wipe out the work Of their
oppressors.
The Indian method was crude In the
extreme. Their only implement was q
stone hammer, and they never got deep
enough 10 and the best stones. The white
man 81 today follows the lead Of bis In.
dian predecessor, In these old mines, but