El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-26
MEXICO WORLD 3
TREASURE HOUSE
Close Contender For First
Place in Silver; Fifth in
Gold Production.

Washington, ID. - April zb--N TN
one-third of all the silver in the world
today having come from the mines of
Mexico, the metauurgic history OF this
country has fully justified Humboldts
Famous description Of it as the treas
1,re house of the world" according to
D. a bulletin issued by the National Geo
graphic society Of Washington, which
"a close contender with the United
states for the first place in the pro-
duction of silver-the two having pro-
duced nearly 20 per cent OF the world
outnut in 1914-and ranking fifth as a
gold producer, Mexico is easily main
aiming its position as one Of the worlds
I richest nations with respect to min
erals, a position it has held since the
Snanish conquistadores first began TO
extort gold from the vanquished Az
tees.
Gold to Cure Spanish Ills.
"Wben Cortez landed in Mexico he
told the natives that the Spaniards
suffered from a disease which only
gold could cure and the chivalrous,
credulous Aztecs, it is said. sent the
Europeans great wheels Of precious
metal as well as ornaments of all sorts,
! which. reckOned in values OF today,
were worth S30,000,00O.
I Immediately 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
d are gold mines WHICH were kuOWn 10
the Aztecs and worked by them, but
! which even to this day have been hid
den from Others the Indians. actuated
by superstition. keeping their secret.
Black Chapters OF Early Days.
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 compared with the black chap
ters Of the early days in the rich mines
OF GuanajuatO. where the labOrers, un-
der cruel taskmasters. toiled from great
DEPTHS up notched poles, bearing 100
. pound bags of ore on their backs. ana
then were driven back after scarcely
time for a breath Of fresh air. 1t was
not until about the time of the death
of Shakspere, whose precautionary the
, world is celebrating this month. that a
law was passed in this mining district
'forbidding the branding Of slaves on
the face
TasImasters Massacred.
Brutal taskmasters did not always
escape unpublished, however. For in
stance, in the Nalencian mines. which
produced $500, 600 600 worth of silver in
50 years, the slaves rose in 1850 and
massacred every Spaniard in that re-
gion.
AN apocryphal story. strongly remi-
niscent Of the Peruvian tale Of 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 band OF
muleteers discovered in that neighbor-
hood one morning the glitter OF refined
silver in the dead ashes of their camp
fire.
beginning of Durango.
"All the stories of early mining op-
eratiOns in Mexico are not blotched
with the blood of poems. There is the
interesting, authentic account Of the
famous AVinO mine, worked as an open
quarry and decided by the owner to all
rHnsN 10
houses close together for mutual pro-
lection 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 pathet-
ic stories Of an ancient prOspector's
blasted hopes is told. Thirty years after
the conquest a wealthy Spaniard, hear
ing Of a mountain of solid silver. start
ed on a journey of exploration. He
travelled for days, hoping each morning
that the rising sun would reveal
gigantic peak Of glistening treasure.
At last IL came in view. He FASTENED
on, but when he reached the base of
the mountain he discovered that IL was
Of iron instead of silver Crushed in
spirit he camped that night at the foot
Of the mass Of ferrous ore Indians
fell upon his band and some Of his fol-
lowers were killed while the leader
himself was mortally wounded. He
died while making his way back to
the capital This adventurer's name is
perpetuated in the famous mineral
mountain. Cerro de Mercado. one OF
the richest outcroppings Of iron ore in
the world
Wine Of Greatest Ancient Value.
mo ancient mines Of Mexico were
more important to the abOrigines than
those OF Obsidian, the CLASSY volcanic
rock from which the Aztecs made most
Of their edged tools and many Of their
weapons Of war
'Innumerable are the stories Of lost
mines which imaginative prospectors