The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1900-08-09
LOST MINES IN MEXICO
RICH DEPOSITS ONCE UNDER
SPANISH CONTROL.
That Are Today Unknown to Civil
lied Mana Secret That Is Care
fully Guarded by the Pima Indians
A Mine ~Fabulously Rich. a

to rediscover the GRE beds that were
worked during the period of the Span
ish occupation. Among them is the
Tarasca, In Sonora. This mine was
worked long before the Spaniards ar
rived in Mexico and the gold and silver
fashioned into ornaments by the abo-
rhymes. A family Of Guaymas had a
necklace of flying fish purchased from
a Pima Indian chief, who stated that
the metal was dug from Tarasca. The
mine was worked by various Spaniards
and later acquired by the crown Of
Spain. 1t was extensively worked,
barring certain periods during Apache
wars, until the epoch of the French
Intervention, when the shafts and tun-
neis are said to have been concealed
by the administrator" Don Juan Mo-
reno, an imperialist, who was forced
to seek safety in flight. The location
of the mine is today uncertain, though
some believe that the mine known as
Ubarabo is identical with it. But the
lost mine about which tradition gath
ers thickest is Taiopa, the knowledge
OF which Is possessed only by the Pima
Indians. Quantities of ore are sold
from time to time by the Indians, but
all attempts to follow the Indians to
the spot where it was found or bride
them to reveal it has failed. Wanting
but little in addition to the corn they
grow they are imbued with a supersti-
ton that if they reveal the locality of
the mine they will instantly drop dead.
TO n ~unacquainted with the Indian
character this statement may seem in
credible, but any ~prospector or miner
in the Sierra Madre will affirm it's
truth. Large Sums of money have been
offered the Pimas to tell where the
mine is. They scorn money, and the
only open sesame is mescal, by the lib
eral use Of which the Indian may be
made to disclose many things, but so
far he has held inviolate his vow to
reveal to no mortal man the famous
Taiopa. But the fascinating secret, in
part, has been revealed to a woman.
About a year and a half ago an Old
Pima Indian fell i'll in one of the val
ley pueblos and was cured by a Mexi-
can lady so we'll known and estimable
thai her statement is universally ac-
cepted. The old Indian returned to
his tribe n from time to time sent
her rich bits of ore, which assayed
thousands OF dollars to the ton. All
her efforts to induce him to lead her
10 the mine were futile. He said the
Great Spirit would strike him dead If
ne did. Last summer the plucky SEN
bra went to the mountains and lived
among the Indians for three months,
1octor1ng the sick, and giving presents
Of calico and gay ribbons to the wo-
men and small quantities of mescal to
The men of the tribe. She became con-
einced beyond doubt that the spot from
which the rich ore came was Taiopa.
The chief admitted that it was the
nina tap9da" that was worked when
he was a boy. After much persuasion
Gnd a gift of a goodly portion OF the
hery product of the maguey he directed
two women Of the tribe to take her to
within a few yards Of the mine, that
she might discover it unaided and save
the Indians from the penalty of sudden
death for revealing it. Overjoyed at
gaining so much, the Mexican Woman
a two burros packed with provis-
ions and, mounted on mules, the three
women set out. They travelled mostly
at night, travelling through deep can
yons and over lofty mountain passes.
The fourth night, some hours after
dark, the women led her into a deep
canyon, Y paused a short distance
from a large rock. In the dim moon
light an old arrastra was seen, and
across the canyon was q large ore
dump, from which opened a tunnel.
The women gathered bits of ore from
the dump and arrastra, but was hur-
ried away by the Indians, who said
they would be killed if they delayed
beyond the time given them by the
chief. They travelled until the moon
went down, rested a few hours and
went on before daylight, completely
battling the Mexican woman as to the
route they had brought her. They ar
rived at the pueblo at nightfall, and
having taken four days to reach tho
mine and but one to return the OBJ
vious conclusion. was that she had
been led about in a circ,e-a curious
method of putting at rest the complex
Indian conscience.
n Mexican lady made several at
tempts afterward to find the mine, but
failed.