The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-05-12
(American News service5

(AmerlCan N0WS SeESACS1
San Antonio. Tex, May 12.-Accordt
ing to Jose Ramon Palafox, a Mexican
journalist who recently passed through
this city on his way to Washington,
D. c., there are no hidden treasures
of Montezuma.
mo doubt the stories circulated
about the hidden treasures OF the Az
tee emperors have their origin in the
sadly exaggerated accounts OF old
Spanish historians-men who swal-
lowed the yarns of the conquerors of
Mexico and whose judgment had been
upset by the few shipments of gold and
silver made to Spain shortly after the
taking of the Aztec capital" said Sc
nor Palafox.
THE amount of gold and silver In
the possession of the Aztecs at any
time was comparatively small and in
the case of the people consisted of lat
tie more than few personal orna-
ments. The greatest store Of these
precious metals was found by the
Spaniards In the imperial palace and
this was promptly shipped to Spain by
Cortez Compared with the wealth of
today even this was a mere drop in
the bucket. The statement made by
historians that fernando Cortez sent
shiploads of gold and silver to his
king should not be taken literally for
in all probability it means no more
than that heavy shipments of these
took place.
'.The accounts OF the Montezuma
| treasure is merely counterpart OF
similar .extrayagances found on the
| pages of history. We read of the fab
ulous wealth of the people of the Eu.
pirates valley, of the ancient Egypt
ians. of India and other parts, and SC
| far have never found trace of 1t. In
their day no doubt these people had
certain amount of gold and silver
but they never had enough to cause
US moderns to call them rich. Dis.
persed among them in the form of cur
rency as is the case today. their wealth
1 in precious metals would have made
poor showing. Gold and silver. then
as in the case of the Aztecs, were not
used at all as mediums Of exchange OF
were used only in very limited way
Rulers paid and received tributes In
| the form of gold and as a rule con-
verted into articles of practical value
or objects of art. The old records
show this down to a very late date
The tribute collected by the kings o.
Egypt, for instance. were gold and
silver vases, statuettes and the like
| We see Rameses reward the services Of
his generals by hanging a golden
chain around their necks and SO on.
| Conditions In Mexico when the
conquistadores got there were the
same. Metals did not figure to an.
extent as money or its equivalent. In
the palace of the emperor gold and sill
yer was found in the shape OF cooking
utensils, toilet articles and wall GOV
erings Perhaps small store OF gold
and silver ingots was also discovered
and so, no doubt. was q small guam
THY of precious stones.
/ The so-called Aztec codeses telling
Of the whereabouts of hidden treas
ure are all spurious and are sold to I'M
suspecting foreigners for fancy prices
II Is an industry somewhat analogous
to the making Of antique furniture and
jewelry. OF course only the mos
credulous are taken in and usually one
experience suffices to tell the pur
chaser OF codex that he has beet
humbugged. However. sometimes
great deal of harm is done by an un
scrupulous man getting possession o
q so-called codex. He is enterprisins
enough to turn his purchase to gOOt
account as far as he is concerned, bu
those who have been foolish enougf
to believe his plausible stories vii
ind that the Montexuma treasure Il
no more than . fable. in face Q swim
die Probable no one knows Mexfcs
better than do It's natives and nowher,
are traditions and the like better pre-
served In view Of these facts 1
would Be more than strange that tn
Mexican should sell information . t: