Smyrna times., 1917-09-05
WEALTH OF SONORA
MINES OF NORTHERN MEXICAN
STATE AMONG RICHEST
IN WORLD.
Legends Of the Immense Wealth Taken
From Them and How 1t Was
Wasted by the Nations
Early conquerors.

IF Americas army sees foreign serv-
ice in its patrol duty along the
northern Sonora border the boys in
khaki will be in a Mexican state where
fact and fable are fascinatingly inter-
woven In the accounts of it's vast min
eral wealth, says the geography bull
letin issued from Washington by the
National Geographic society. Even the
name Sonora is said by some histo-
rians to be derived from a peculiarly
musical and "sOnOrOus" quality pos
seSsed by certain marbles Quarried In
the state.
Within decade after COrtez land
ed on Mexican soil and conquered the
followers of Montezuma, the Spaniards
had launched expeditions by sea and
started exploration parties over the
mountains to find that region which
two centuries before, according to tra-
dition, had supplied the Aztecs with
great stores of gold and silver when
they passed through the land in their
tribal migration to the vale of Ana.
huac. By 1880 Almindez ChirinOs had
proceeded up the coast as far as
the mouth Of the YaquI river, and he
was followed by De Vaca, who
brought back a report that gold and
silver could be pIucked from the
ground in unbelievable quantities. One
OF De Vaca's followers was Sebastian,
a mulattO who had a remarkable gift
of imagination. Among the places he
'saw" were the Seven Cities of Ci-
bOla, ruled by King Tatarax, whose
wonderful bejeweled robes dazzled the
eye as he wOrshiped each morning In
his magnificent palace before a golden
cross. Mermaids also figured in Sc
bastian's narrative as alluring mar.
vels of the Sonora coast.
Among the Sonora mines about
which romance and reality are strange.
ly mingled is that of Senior Almada
of Quintera. The owner is said to
have celebrated the marriage of his ia
vOrite daughter by paneling the
bridal chamber with silver, and paw
ing the road from his home to the
church with bars of the precious
metal.
The legend concerning the Dona
Maria mine is that its owner, the wild
Ow of a Spaniard, De Rodriques, la
bored for years saving nuggets of gold
until she had a treasury which re-
Quired caravan of 40 mules to convey
the four tons of precious metal to Mex
leo City. 1t was long and arduous
journey, and the widow was constant
ly in fear Of being robbed. When she
finally reached the capital she would
not rest content until the fortune had
been placed in the safekeeping of the
Spanish viceroy. A few days later the
widow disappeared, and the vast store
of gold was appropriated by the gov
eminent treasury and that treasury's
| custodian.
An equally pathetic story is told of
the Planchas de Plata (Silver Plates)
mine, which, according to Jesuit ac-
counts, was discovered by Yaqui In
dian during the first half of the eight
eenth century. From a deep canyon
the Jesuits are said to have taken
great glObules of silver ore, weigh
ing from 20 to 80 pounds. One man.
moth nugget of pure silver, weighing
a quarter of ton, was discovered, and
proved the undoing of both the priests
and the Indians. This treasure rock
was with great difficulty loaded be-
tween two pack mules and taken to
the capital, where it was seized for
the crown. After years of litigation
the authorities decided that not only
this nugget, but all other ore from the
canyon belonged to the state. Where.
upon Jesuits and Indians conspireC
successfully to '1ose" the mine.
Just 10 miles south of the Arizona
line and midway between the border
towns of Nogales and Naco, II
Cananea, the center of one of the rich
est copper regions in the world, while
to the south is Magdalena station, cas-
J of which is the Santo Domingo canyOI
with its placer gold deposits whicl
are said to have furnished the car
go for many of Spain's treasure gal
t Icons.
In addition to copper, gold and sil
yer, the mines of Sonora produce lead
coal, antimony, mercury, iron, zinc, sal
a and tellurium. The graphite deposit
of the state are said to be the fines
In the world. producing an even bel
ter grade than the famous mines of s.
n IBERIA and japan.