Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-05-04
WORLDS TREASURE HOUSE
Mexico One of Wealthiest Ma
tons with Respect to Minerals.
'ontcnds with United states for First
Place in silver Production and
Ranks First ms Gold Pro-
Queer.

With one-third Of all the silver in tho |
world to-day having come from the mines
of Mexico, the metallurgic history of this
country has fully justified Humboldts
famous description of 1t the treasure
house of the world" according to a
bulletin Just issued by the National
Geographic society of Washington, which
says:
"a close contender with the United
States for the first place in the production
of silver--the two having produced nearly
seventy per cent. of the worlds output
in 191a-and ranking fifth as gold
producer. Mexico is easily maintaining
it's position rs one of the worlds richest
nations with respect TO minerals. n posi-
ton 1t has held since the Spanish con-
quistadores first began to extort gold
from the vanquished Aztecs.
"Whcn Cortez landed in Mexico he told
the natives that the Spaniards suffered
from a disease which only gold could
cure,' and the chvalrous. credulous
Aztecs, It is said sent the Europeans
great wheels u precious metal as well
as ornaments of all sorts, which, reckoned
in values of to-day, were worth $4,000
900
"Immedatcly after the conquest the
Spaniards began to work the gold and
silver mines of Mexico, but many min
eralogists are Of the opinion that there
are gold mines which were known to the
Aztecs and worked by them but which
even to this day have been hidden from
the white man. the Indians. actuated BY
superstition, keeping their secret. AS If to
substantate this attitude OF the natives.
the handsomest monument that graces
the city of Mexico between the capitol
| and the castle of Chapultepec stands to
the memory of Cuauhtemoc, the Aztec
| prince who refused to reveal to the con
querors the sources of his peoples
wealth, even though his torturers in their
endeavor to make him disclose the where
| abouts of this vast wealth burned the
| soles from his feet
/ THE modern investigator of social and
| industrial conditions paints drab pictures
| of the natives in some of the Mexican
mines, but these are bright pages COM
pared with the black chapters of the
| early days in the rich mines of
Guanajuato. where the laborers, under
cruel taskmasters, toiled from great
depths up notched poles. bearing 100
pound bags of ore on their backs, and
| then were driven back after scarcely time
for a breath of fresh air. II was not
until about the time of the death Of
Shakespeare, whose tercentenary the
world is celebrating this month. that a
law was passed in this mining district
| forbidding the branding of slaves on
the face
Brutal taskmasters did not always
escape unpublished, however For in
stance. in the Valenciana mines. which
produced $500, 100000 worth of silver in 20
years, the slaves rose in 1850 and
massacred every white man in that re-
gion.
AN apocryphal story, strongly
reminiscent of the Peruvian tale of a
fire built against an overhanging silver
boulder, is told of the discovery of the
rich silver deposits of the Guanajuato
district 1t is related that a band of mule
teers discovered in that neighborhood one
morning the glitter of refined silver in
the dead ashes of their campfire
"All the stories of early mining opera
tons in Mexico are not blotched with
the blood of poems. There is the inter
esting. authentic account OF the famous
Avino mine, worked an open quarry
and decided by the owner to all the white
men who would build their houses Close
together for mutual protection against
, hostile tribes. This was the beginning OF
the prosperous City Of Sunshine,
Durango.
1T is of the Durango vicinity, in
cidentally, that one of the most pathetic
stories OF an ancient prospectors BLASTED
hopes is told Thirty years after the con
quest wealthy Spaniard, hearing Of ::
mountain of solid silver. started on :
journey of exploration. He Travelled fo
, days hoping each morning that the rsnl
sun would reveal gigantic peak o.
gistening treasure. At last it came II
view He FASTENED on. but when h,
reached the base of the mountain he dis
covered that it was of iron instead OF
silver. Crushed in spirit, he camped thai
night at the foot of the mass of ferrou.
ore. Indians fell upon his band and some
of his followers We're killed while tn,
leader himself was morta!ly wounded. L,
died while making his way back to tn,
capital. This adventurers name /.
perpetuated In the famous mineral noun
tain, Cerro de Mercado, one Of the rich
est outcroppings of iron ore in the world
NO ancient mines OF Mexico wer,
more important to the aborigines thar
those of obsidian. the CLASSY volcani,
| rock from which the Aztecs made mos
of their edged tools and many Of thei
weapons Of war.
"Innumerable are the stories of los
; mines which imaginative prospectors arr
constantly 'rediscovering' for the benef
, of credulous investors, About the searche
. for some of these el dorados there coul,
9 be written histories which would riva
, in picturesqueness and thrilling adventure
the most eXtravagant romances of .
Rider Haggard a James Fennimor
2 Cooper. or a Jules Verne"