The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-06-11
THE LOST MINE.

The reported discovery Of the lost mine o.
Taiopa, in the state of Sonora, Mexico, recalls the
romance that has lowered for centuries around TIT
mysterious region. Many years ago Mexican Of
great wealth, who much interested IN the ira
ditions associated with Taiopa, made voyage tc
Madrid, Spain, to examine the old maps and search
for data on the mine. He found absolutely moth
ing to prove that the mine had ever been worked
by the crown of Spain, and there is nothing in
the Mexican archives to vouch for its existence.
STILL the Indians of Pimeria always maintained
that Taiopa existed, and few of these Indians
claimed to know it's whereabouts. Until few
years ago small specimens of very rich ore were
occasionally sold at the mountain mining camps,
but all attempts to trail the Indians to the spot
where it was found or to bride them to reveal the
secret failed. They believed that if they made
known the place they would suffer fearful punish
ment.
About forty years ago venerable Opate chief
was taken dangerously sick in of the Sonora
valley pueblos. He was nursed back to health by
a Mexican woman, so well known and respected
that any statement made by her was accepted
without question
The Opate returned to his tribe in the noun
tains and from time to time, sent his benefactress
rich bits of which assayed thousands of dollars
to the tom One summer this Mexican woman went
for her health to the Opate village and lived with
the tribe for three months. Her kindness to their
chief when he was i'll in her peublo, her attention
to those sick in the village, her love for the chill
dren and her little gifts of gaudy colored ribbons
and gay calico to the women won the good will and
affections of the tribe. She talked with the old
chief about the mine and became convinced that
the rich came from Taiopa, the lost mine. The
aged chief admitted that he knew where the mine
was, and commissioned two squaws to lead the lady
near to the spot so that she might herself discover
it, and save him from disaster for revealing it.
The three women travelled mostly at night pass
ing through deep canyons and over lofty noun
tains. The fourth night, some hours after dark,
the squaws led her into deep canyon and paused
before large rock.
In the dim moonlight an old alastra was seen,
and across the canyon large ore dump but she was
hurried away by the squaws who feared the ven
geance of the spirit guarding the mine. They
travelled till the moon went down, rested few
hours, then hurried on before daybreak completely
battling the sonora to the route they had taken
They arrived at their village some time in the aft
ernoon, having taken four days to reach the mine
and but one to return. The Mexican lady then
understood they travelled in circle when going
in order to mystify her.
One of the richest of the lost mines was prob
ably Tarasca, of which Humboldt, the great tray-
eler, tells so many romantic stories. Tarasca was
worked long before the time of Cortez, and its
gold and silver made into ornaments. Bernal Diaz
in his "Cronica Sinonloase," says he spoke with
lady in Guaymas who wore a necklace of flying
fish bought from a Pima chief, who told her the
gold was dug from the Tarasca mine In time this
mine was acquired by the Crown of Spain, and
was worked till the Yaquis slaughtered the miners
and concealed the shafts.
After peace was struck with the Indians, Don
Juan Moreno, the administrator of the property
searched in vain for the location of Tarasca
Years after the death of Moreno, when the Ubar-
DO mine was located, it was found to have been al
ready extensively worked and the shafts and open
ings most deity concealed. Rich pillars of ore
were found in the drifts, and in many details the
mine correspondent with the descriptions and trac-
ings of Tarasca found among the archives of the
American consulate at Guaymas.
Two other mines about which there are many
romantic tales are the Reina Mercedes and the Y