Williams news., 1903-04-04
INTERESTING BITS
 OF LEGENDRY
Culled From the "Cananea Her aid" "-.-Chatham's Curiosity
 is UnfOIded.

Long before Cortez entered Ari- zona in quest of precious metals and Coronado plated pathway far ther to the east, going as far as what is now called central Kansas, the Aztecs-large colony of them lived where this busy camp ex- ists today. The remnant of the colony inhabiting northern Sonora is here still, but their number is small. They were in the early days a pastoral people, wealthy in grain products and stock, and withal, a people, as history proves, merited for most excellent qualities of civ ilization. But their legendry lore does not exempt them from cer- tain measure of superstition. In fact their history brings out the suggestion of somewhat extreme predelictions along superstitious lines. But their superstitions seem to have been centered upon the earth's treasures in the way of precious metals.
 One of their favorite localities was where the big mines of this camp are now being operated. To them the giant spires of rock, the picturesquely trimmed mountain walls and castellated domes of the granite aeries of the timid d and graceful eagle-were sacred. They believed, and rightly, too, that the locality was one of min eral wealth. They knew it, be- cause they secured native gold and silver and copper which they used literally in the arts but mostly in crude personal adornments.
 In their legendry it is said that a great mother, who had beauti- ful daughter, inhabited the inn mense caverns. High up on the cas- tellated domes was their sovereign princess and the young daugh- ter, called by them, "The Wild Girl of the Rocks" was the ennis sary of the grand princess who was the consort of the eagles in the rocky crags.
 Their story is that one day this young girl, with wild scream and with long brown hair flying in the breeze, emerged from one of these rocky caverns and was seen no more. It was a warning, they say that the Aztecs were to be no longer a power but that they were doomed to eventual annihilation.
 Such is the story of "The Wild Girls of the Rocks" and this an cient people declare that the in vasion of Cortez and Coronado was the cause of this warning and the eve of their powerful life.
 There are many Aztecs now in the vicinity of this camp and one can almost pick them out in the cosmopolitan groups to be found on all streets. As a general thing they have an Anglo-Saxon color and caste of countenance which has been maintained by their long time ago refusal to intermarry with Indians or natives. They readily acquire the English language and are altogether most excellent peo- ple. In the Spanish or Mexican tongue they are known as Aztecas.
 Modern industry, such as is ex- emplified by the Cananea, the De- mocrata, the Sierra de Cobra minas and other companies in the grand old range of mountains just west of this city, is rapidly whiting away the majestic hills with wagon roads and hill-climbing narrow gauge railroads, but the primitive pie turesaueness of those grand, rugged craes with their aeries and silent song of the knowledge of centuries is still, in measure, maintained. The student of all that is beautiful and grand in mountain scenery may be we'll repaid by visit high mn where the detonation of the miners blast sends out reverbera-