The Spanish Expeditions of the North
The cache sites in the north are not the same as the Banditos sites, unfortunately the depositories of the Spanish were not documented with meticulous instructions on how to find them as in many cases of the Banditos’ cache sites, but they were meticulously mapped and marked using a formula of triangulation that had escaped us and has taken us years to discover its existence and many months to understand the application of it at the many cache depositories of the many mining districts. Had it not been for arising circumstances in field documentation and the efforts of one mans ability to think outside the box, and another’s ability to apply it in the field, we may still be unaware of its existence.
Since the days of the Spanish Explorations, driving further and further into the North, looking for the famed 7 Golden cities of Cibola (Si-Bol-La, Si as in eye) legends have grown, legends of which date back further than any might think, yet many names have been attributed to this place which in some legends is considered as 7 cities surrounding a vast lake called Copalla, stemming from the Copal tree or the smaller variety Copalchi and yet deriving from the Nahuatl word Copalli meaning incense. Yet and in more ancient legends this mythical place is always pertaining to an Island in the middle of a vast lake or sea, and even in few less legends, associated with a place of the Heron and others a place of turtles or Turtle Island. Some in Academia would set this whole thing down as ridiculous, yet not a one of them can explain how these legends and surprisingly accurate draughts existed long before the Europeans were ever thought to have come here.
The Spanish mining expeditions into the North have been underway since the 1500’s and more so in the following century. Despite what history has taught the evidences show that Father Escalante, was following a very old trail.
The Royal funded Spanish expeditions had a lot to loose; their operations were subject to looting or hostile take over by, Privateering Spaniards, French expeditions or other and also Indians. I cannot prove it by any means, but I am certain one day you will find it to be true, but a true Spanish mine, with something of value left behind, you will not find a mine dump nor will you find an opening, as everything of value was to be backfilled 10 varas or 30 feet and made to look as natural as when they arrived. How do I know this? It would also be interesting to note, that should the Indians up rise and over throw those who would enslave them, all remnant of the site, the slaughter, including the mine itself, would be hidden away, and if it had great importance, a particular family within the tribe is given the commission to keep the mine covered and all concealed, a practice that continued at least into the 1970’s a little Ute woman who faithfully carried out her commission her entire life.
For many of the reasons given previously, the Spanish relied upon a system, principle or rule in which to ensure they could return to the exact spot. Triangulation has always been the most effective method by which to mark an exact spot by using the principles of Geometry and or Trigonometry. However, if you were not familiar with the signs or symbols which were left behind, you could in no wise located the intended cache location if you were fortunate enough to have received an authentic map. If those signs or symbols were in some way destroyed, only the memory of one who had been there before would aid in relocation.
There are many who wish to be a treasure hunter, there are many who claim to be a treasure hunter and even some who advertise that they are a professional treasure hunter.
There are many forms of treasure hunting, metal detecting, chasing the old stage coach robberies, bank robberies and the like, KGC cache hunters, lost treasures of the ancients, sunken Spanish Treasure, Spanish cache stories, Bandito’s cache stories and unique stories of all kinds and from all over the world. Each and every form of treasure hunting there is, requires certain skills that if you do not posses them, you can at least enjoy the thrill of the hunt. But the skills needed are more common than one might think, in fact, those who seem to be most lacking are the self proclaimed treasure hunters, they are not hard to find, look for those who have been there done that and they remind you often, beat their own chest, they create false situations of evidence which they think you can’t see, and should you show them something new, they already knew it and seen it 20 years ago.
