The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-29
WHERE GOLD is SCORNED.
A Land Whose Mineral Wealth Is
Practically Unclaimed.
Philadelphia Record

FhlIadelph1a Record.
For over $50 years the Indians of Mexico
have been bringing in washed gold to sell
and pay their tribute to the government
but no great amount of interest has ever
been taken in the matter. Excitement or
interest is hard to raise among the Mexi-
cans. The half-breed descendants of the
Spanish conQuerors follow in the steps of
their grandfathers and are without ambi-
ton or idea of advancement.
Gold, either free or in connection with
other mineral, is to be found in most Of
the States of Mexico, but in the main Sierra
Madre there is q Well-detined gold-bearing
zone. This strip of territory is but sparsey
inhabited and but little known, the main
population Of Mexico being confined to the
arid and barren tabelands where silver
copper and lead are the principal minerals
The best agricultural and mineral lands of
Mexico-the first in Vera Cruz and Tabas-
co; the second along the western slopes Of
the Sierra Madre-have never been devel-
oped nor occupied
Some remarkably rich gold mines have
recently been opened at the northern end Of
this formation, in the State of Sonora, east
from Hermosillo, in the Minas Prietas dis
trict A short time ago an enterprising
prospector, Mr.. Faulkner made some rich
washings of gold from some of the head
waters of the Yaqui river, and some little
local interest was excited. About the same
time a party of engineers returning from
hill of gold ore some three miles long and
specimens picked up off of the surface were
assayed at from SO to SIS to the ton.
In the State of Sinaloa there are gold
plaCers, as there are, too, in the State of
Jalisco, and this formation extends south
through Michoacan into Guerrero.
In Guerrero the mountains spread out
into a mass of broken ridges, mostly heavi-
ly timbered and gold is washed from all
the streams running out of this broken
country. This mountain country is practi-
cally unknown and uneXplored. The In
dams from time immemorial have had the
tradition that these mountains are en-
chanted ("cantado'D, and you cannot pre-
vail upon one Of them to enter that re-
gion.
The Indian name for gold means food
of the gods, and they believe it comes down
from heaven in the lightning. 1t would he
time lost to endeavor to convince them that
it was washed out of the rocks and is in
the mountains. Their clinching argument
is: when the lightning comes down from
heaven you can see the yellow OF the gold +"
This, to their minds, settles the question
There are Indian towns near Telloapan
whose inhabitants live from the gold
washed out of the streams. and have done
ever dared to venture back into the noun
tains. Had Mexico been in the hands of
Anglo Saxons her agricultural resources,
instead of being only per cent. d'eVelnped
would have been to-day controlling the
markets of the world in sugar, cotton cot
fee and other products, and her mineral re-
sources instead of being but 10 per cent
developed would have produced more gold
than all the rest of the world.
Writing in 1903. Baron Won Humboldt de-
clared that Mexico would become the fu-
ture treasure house of the world His re-
mark was founded on personal observation
but he had not taken into account the law
race which was TO result from the mixture
of Spanish and Indian blood. For over $50
years Mexico has been at a standstill The
half-breed Indian, when he can exist upon
the crop of two or three acres. will NOT
cultivate more and stops washing for gold
as soon he has gained enough to last
him a year. Had Anglo-Saxons been at
work in his stead the result would have
been far different