Atoche Emeralds from Columbia... Or Utah?

 Original article posted April 11th 2017

Expanded Article:

On April 25th A treasure trove of Emeralds along with other treasure is set to go to auction in New York. These Emeralds were recovered from the 1622 ship wreck Nuestra Senora de Atoche in the 1980's.

What if I told you they did not come from Columbia?

Emerals To Be Auctioned on 25th of April in New York VIDEO

WATCH VIDEO

One little secret never told however is that this shipwreck of 1622 was a little out of bounds from where it should have been when found, even with the hurricane winds it could not have ended up where it was... If the Academic version were true...

Also it was rumored until confirmed, that Mel Fisher believed... No... He knew that a large portion if not all of the cargo of the Atoche came from the Uinta Mountains. This was seemingly confirmed when Mel Fisher not long after the discovery came to Utah and spent much time in 3 unnamed areas of the Uintas of which I will keep to myself. His daughter later after his death spent much time looking in the same areas... Why?

One individual who was asked/hired to take Mel to certain places, when I asked him about this rumor, he interrupted me and said it ain't no rumor, Mel absolutely believed that because of a goat skin map that was found sealed in a cannon barrel with wax and other things found amongst the wreckage. " I saw it myself." Of the character of this individual and of whom I have known for about 16 years, if he told me the sky was pink with blue stripes, I don't know that I would bother looking to see if it were true...

I wonder what effect it would have on the sale of the Emeralds if those who own them, or even those considering buying them knew that the likelihood is, that these gems did NOT come from Columbia as everyone has always believed... what If I told you they more likely came from right here in our own Uinta Mountains? But where?.... Exactly? There is at least one confirmed tale of Emeralds being found in the Uintas... Is there another?

ADDENDUM:

Well since this article was written it seems that two more emeralds were found and one by a geologist while trying to confirm the other and somewhere in my research files is the written report.

The most interesting thing about this discovery is that in both incidents of discovery is in the same strata and geological formation and is located at the presumed back door of the most famous mine in the Uintas, The Mina Del Rey, or Mine of the King. The Mina del Rey is thought by some to date back to the expeditions Hyrum, the King of Tyre under the command of King Solomon and his journeys to a place called Ophir, but not much is written about it mainly because no one ever found it. King Solomon's mine is thought by a majority to be in South Africa, but then again anytime they can't find an answer they blame it on Africa, I'm surprised they haven't yet placed El Dorado and Shambhala in Africa. As far as I know it is only marked on two maps, the Antonio de Reinaldo map of 1851-53, but does not give the name of the mine, however on the other map Arolla le Sampora of 1876 which was drawn 29 years after the Mormons arrived in Salt Lake City, it is clearly marked as Mina Del Rey, could this be one and the same? The map was among four maps given to a friend by a Navajo Apache who said it came from his grandfathers of which were taken from the Spaniards they killed near the four corners area.

I certainly can't prove it yet, but I have found the location and the reason why it has gone undetected. The mine dump is so big I don't think you would know it if you were standing on it. The mine dump covers some 3.5 to 4 acres, keep in mind the size about 3 to 4 football fields, however this has not yet been proven to be a mine dump.

Overlaid with BYU football stadium

Rumor has it that the mine is very old, mined long before the Spaniards and it is said a tunnel goes all the way through the mountain over a mile away as a crow flies. This back door is right where the first two emeralds were found, and another 3 miles is where the second two were found. Is it possible that the Emeralds found on the Atoche may have come from the Uintas? I would say the possibilities and evidence make it compelling.

Emeralds from the Atoche

Imagine tunneling through on mile of a mountain in an area where emeralds were found, what might be the likelihood be of finding emeralds?

Spanish and Platinum in the Uintas

 

Some time in 2002 I heard a story reiterated by a friend and local of the Mountain Home area… as I recall she did not know where the story came from but was merely passing along what she had heard, it was the first time I had heard anything concerning Platinum in the Uintas. The story was short and sweet and the kind you simply log into your memory subject to your aluminum intake and at risk of being lost forever. Rumor has it that at some point in the past, Platinum had been discovered by the Spaniards near a narrow canyon and in the area I will tell of next. As the story went, apparently the Spaniards didn’t know what it was, in fact it is said that they thought it was Gold that was not yet ripe. Now I have a tendency to check out things as simple as that statement and I found that at the time of the conquest, 1600 to 1700 we’ll say, that there were indeed some Spanish explorers that did not know what Platinum was and some thought it was un-ripened gold. Well the story went on to say that they smelted the ore and made 200 bars, after which they put it back into the mine or cached it with the intent to come back for it latter hopping it would then be ripe. Well at the time I didn’t think one way or the other as to whether the story had merit,  but a few years later I must say it was on my mind as we traveled up the narrow canyon.

August 31^st 2004 I and some friends were traveling up  to an area just North and East of Lake Fork Mountain. Traveling through a narrow canyon I had to stop and discard some bodily processed coffee. During the pit stop I noticed a small stream trickling from the hill side, I recall it catching my attention as I know small steams such as this seam to flow from fault areas and or old mines.

 

Being close enough to the hill side I could see what was a place where the stream emerged and a place that appeared as sunk in. It just didn’t look right. Walking over to it I said to one of my friends, this is a covered mine. I’m pretty sure he didn’t believe me and for good reason, hell it might not be… but I said to him, if only we could find a mark or something on a tree and I turned around literally 180 degrees to be staring at the tree in the following image.

 

 

Now before you get all wrapped up in the symbol and the letters let me say that the letters you can see, P, e, a, and a B, are from 1935. Notice the width however of the vertical lines that make them up, in the lettering these are about ¾ of an inch wide. As the tree expands in diameter due to growth these lines cut with a single incision will expand. Now look at the vertical lines on the rectangle, these too were cut with a single incision, yet they have expanded to near 3 inches. My non professional opinion would be this rectangle was carved about 1800 to 1850. 

Now what does the rectangle mean? Well, It has two meanings from the Spanish perspective, it means cache, and 180 degrees as apposed to a square which is cache and 90 degrees. So if you are looking at the carving and you turn around 180 degrees you would be looking at the sunken in place previously shown. Could this be the mine or cache of 200 platinum bars? Well I don’t know… lets skip just over the mountain less than a mile from here...

I literally just got off the phone with one of my sources in order to make sure I had my facts straight on the next part. It seems we have discovered where the first part concerning the 200 bars came from. I hesitate to give names because I can be very stingy with my sources but my very good friend whose father is a best kept secret named Curtis.

Curtis passed away on June 1^st 2007 my friends prospecting buddy and father, Curtis by all means was not as well known as Gale Rhoades and Steve Shaffer but by all means should have been as Curtis was more connected to the Native people, the secrets and the mining than the former mentioned two and near as I can tell some of the stories they wrote about and perused, came from Curtis. Curtis was a meticulous record keeper who also kept a journal and wasn’t interested in writing books, he was interested in finding the yellow stuff and more importantly, the truth. Curtis left his son a wealth of information that sometimes I’m not sure he even knows… back to the Platinum. 

One day Curtis was traveling up a well know canyon with his Native buddy, and was engaged in typical conversation and as they approach one of the many draws in the canyon, his Native friend pointed up into it and said, up there near where the locals get their water, is an old platinum mine once mined by the Spaniards, they found an ore body but didn’t know what it was. But they smelted it and poured 200 bars and because it was a silver yellow color, they figured it was gold that had not yet cured, to my understanding the Natives of the time told them that if they put it back in the mine and leave it for a period of time it would cure and become gold, which they did but never came back for it. This draw mentioned is just over the hill from the previous place mentioned where the cache mark was found on the tree, and as it would seem, an old trail runs between the two sites. 

And yet another story that if I am not mistaken found its way from Curtis’s files to one of the many treasure book authors. Near the mouth of the very same canyon that Curtis and his friend were traveling there was an old ranch house, I can’t be certain of the year but was likely the early decades of the 1900’s to maybe a late as the 40’s. Two boys, one of which lived at the ranch house anxious to get out exploring after winter, loaded up the old horses and set off for an adventure. Traveling up the canyon and arriving just below the draw mentioned in the previous story, and where today is a small reservoir, they set up camp. The following morning the two boys mounted their old steeds and continued up the canyon. When they reached a point where in another drainage met with the main river they stopped at what appeared to be a nice flat area that seemed as though was a favorite fishing spot. The boys tied up the horses and set out on a short hike. They came to a small clearing and on the far side they encountered some small ledges forming a somewhat cove. Below the ledges were wild roses or raspberry bushes that they made their way into and discover a hole at the base of the ledge. Clearing some of the bushes away to get a better look one of the boys could see down in the small hole what appeared to be numerous leather bags filled with black rocks.

 

A little digging and a stretch of the arm the boy was able to grab a hold one of the leather bags to try to pull it closer but the leather just crumbled in his hand. Before the boys left the sight they managed to fill their pockets with the strange black rocks. On their return trip the boys were throwing the rocks at squirrels, throwing them in the river just as boys would having a bunch of rocks. When they made their way back to the ranch they still had a few and threw them in an old bucket belonging to the ranch owner. 

Maybe a month later the father of the boy who lived at the ranch house grabbed the bucket to use for some purpose and saw the black rocks, taken one from the bucket he was surprised at the weight of it and decided to take it down to Salt Lake with him and drop it off at the assayers office. After making this trip and returning to the assayers office ready to head back home, he asked the assayer, so what did you find out? The assayer responded with, I found out you best find out where it came from, why? Said the rancher, to which the assayer said, because it is near 100% platinum. The rancher upon returning home called the boys over and asked them if they had put the rocks in the bucket, they confirmed, then he asked do you know where you got them, they confirmed again with yes to which they all mounted their horses and headed up the canyon to the very place the boys thought they had tied their horses and set out to retrace their steps, how ever, hours later they gave up not being able to find the ledges or the sticker bushes.

 

The last living of the two boys drew a map, and to my surprise it is perfect, I don’t understand how they did not find it. We found it the second day out, and I am pretty sure I know why when the boys return with the rancher they did not find it, but that I am going to hold onto that. It's just another of the many projects underway and trying to figure out our next move, it is never easy…. There is always something that complicates what sounded so simple. 

So.. upon hearing the first story you can see that it doesn’t create much interest. The second story just gave me reason to pay attention, and then the story of the mine in the draw gave credibility to all of it and finding the trail between the two locations even more so. Then learning of the story of the boys? Well… credibility works both way and now we have way to many coincident. The bottom line, here is… there is Platinum in the Uintas, and especially in one specific area, and the Spaniards knew where it was…

The Gold Cavern[s] of the Breña

 

To start this off, let me say... I would not expect one soul to believe the following...

The Map of Captain Valentin

It was in the late 1500's, a small group of Banditos banded together for the purpose of cutting off the supplies of Gold and Silver to Spain, in hopes that it would cause these unwelcome strangers of their land to leave for good. Over the next two hundred years the number of banditos grew, Captains of the Gangs came and went, each leaving behind their written charted course of their experiences and handed down to their posterity.  These Mexican Indians set a goal, to fill their chosen cache site being a natural cavern, with gold only… I am sure it was a joke at the time, However they put only Gold into the cavern and the silver in another location near by. There is also the overflow location where shallow trenches were dug when they finally reached their goal in the late 1700’s.

There was at one point in the early 1900’s a cache found of 4 million (Value in that day and much to small) naming the items that was found, and it was imagined to be one of the many caches of these banditos, but the describe items do not match, however although there are still some who seek these sites today and look to far south for reasons I cannot give, the information they seek in order to find the right place, and they have not known of… is here in my hands.

It was some time in the mid-1970s that a somewhat well-known treasure hunter in Utah, who we will refer to as Jim, was investigating an off-shore treasure off the east coast of Mexico to the north of the city of Veracruz. Jim became somewhat well-known by the locals and while enjoying some free time in a small coastal village, an elderly Mexican gentleman approached him and asked him if he would be willing to take a look at some very old documents handed down from his ancestors. The old man explained the documents in summary and it became very clear to Jim that this was no small treasure story.

Now the old man had traveled far from his inland village for whatever reasons, yet Jim arranged to travel to the old village asking the old man if he would like to accompany him. It was necessary to travel to the village of the old man’s birth as this is where the documents were kept and were never taken from. Arrangements were made to view the old documents which Jim studied intently having a fair understanding of Spanish. It was quite clear that Jim’s suspicions were correct; he had never read anything quite this fascinating. It was as compelling as such stories as the alleged lost Aztec Gold of Arizona or Utah; this was clearly one of the big ones.

After reviewing the documents in the company of family members and descendants of the document’s author (who was a Captain of the Banditos in about 1770); Jim, trying very hard to keep his composure, asked if he could make a copy of the document. To his surprise, they said that he could. The problem Jim had was that the nearest Zerox machine was nearly 20 miles away and to take the document away from the village was unheard of, but it was agreed that two of the people from the village would accompany Jim to the town with the Zerox machine to make copies.

After this part of the story, I only have bits and pieces of what Jim did in the years to come. A few years later in about 1980 Jim befriended another man whom we will call John. John and Jim shared many adventures over the next ten years, but as it often happens there was a bit of a falling out where the two separated as friends and kept in touch but no longer shared in their adventures. While John and Jim were working together, Jim showed John all the details of the story including the copied hand-written document which John also studied from time to time as they wanted the best English translation they could get. Jim never gave John a copy of the hand written document but he did share with him copies of the English translation, a copy of the hand drawn map which came with the original hand-written document and Jim’s maps that he used to try to locate the many cache sites mentioned in the documents, but especially the main location or main cache which is 3 separate sites.

The biggest problem Jim had according to John is that the place names were only known by a few locals in the vicinity of the main site area. It would be another 16 years or so before the equivalency of the United States topographical maps were made in the area; something Jim did not have access to. In 1909 a newspaper article emerged telling of a wonderful treasure which was discovered in the area, the article said that it was found near a key place name mentioned in the old original document. This occurrence is one of the reasons why so many have discarded the story as being found and possibly why so many have been led to look in the wrong place. However the items found in this discovery were listed and it definitely was not any of the caches within the document.

As a result of my personal research pertaining to similar topics and those research topics which are somewhat unrelated to Spanish Treasure Hunting, I met John in about the year 2001. John, although one of the nicest guys in the Spanish lore game that I had ever met, was not a very trusting soul and was very slow to share information and he was also very cautious as to whom he shared it with. It would be another 3 years before John would share the information with me.

Shortly after meeting John, another friend whom I will call Mark approached me with a document which would later prove to be Jim’s English copy which (unknown to Jim) was copied when Jim took it to Mark in the 70s to ask for help in unraveling the mystery of it. Apparently Jim took his eyes off the document 10 minutes longer than he should have. When Mark brought the story to me, it was clear that he knew he could not unravel the mystery of the location; if he had thought for a moment that he could, I am certain he would have never brought it to me. He asked me to take it home and read it and see what I thought, hoping to get my insight on the details.

As I read the story I was absolutely amazed at what I was reading, often envisioning what this massive hoard must look like. Never at this time did I ever think, expect or imagine that in a few short weeks that I would actually find it. I was so taken in by the story and being a real sucker for a mystery, I just couldn't leave it alone. I almost immediately began the research process in order to discover the end results. I knew it was unlikely but I knew it was possible and I thrive on the challenge. Within just a few short weeks I had ordered the topographical maps mentioned earlier and I was well on my way to unraveling this mystery.

In about late 2002 or 2003, I met John as a result of part of my research. I was taken in by John; yes he was secretive but he was different than many others that I had met. There was a real genuineness about him; it was a hit and John has been my good friend ever since. I believe it was sometime in about 2004 that John brought to me a story he wanted me to review. By this time, John and Jim were no longer working together and Jim had almost forgotten the enormous cache site precisely 1066 miles south of his home which he had never found. Jim passed away in October of 2012, may he rest in peace.

Now going back a few years, I had received the 1:50,000 scale Topographic maps of the area in question that were created in 1986 and before opening them I decided to take them with me to work to study them hoping to find the place names. While at work, I was waiting for the sub-contractors to show up so that I could pay them. The sub-contractor who was coming to get paid that day I had not yet gotten to know very well and so when he came in I asked him where he was from to strike up a conversation. He told me that he was from a city near to the area of the cache sites. Of course that information raised an eyebrow and so I asked him if he knew one of the place names in the old document, he responded telling me that it is where he grew up. Ok now things were getting… coincidental? as I call it but I do not believe in coincidences. I asked him if he knew some of the other place names which he did. So then I asked if he wouldn't mind looking at some maps, and he responded in kind and said he would be glad to. I went out to my truck and brought the map tube in and pulled out the maps. Upon unrolling the main map which I suspected of having the majority of the place names from the old document, the sub-contractor said in surprise, “Hey, Where you get these? From a mapping company in Mexico I responded... why? I used to work for the company that made these maps before I came to the United States.” He explained to me that his job was the field checking of place names and features largely because he was very familiar with many of them. Unbelievable I thought, we proceeded to go over some of the place names of which he would point to the places I had asked about. Now what I didn't know and wouldn't notice for another few years was that a majority of the names I had asked about and he had pointed at were in fact on the map, but the writing was so obscure that I had never noticed it; not even when he pointed at it. In about 2010, I discovered that I could download the same maps of a 2001 edition in pdf format wherein all layers were very well defined and it wasn't until nearly five years after I had discovered the main cache location, that I could see the names and they were right where I had supposed they should be based on the very old but descriptive document.

PART TWO

Discovery of the Banditos Cache

One day after spending much time with the maps and place names and reading very carefully the main descriptive clues, I was following what I felt was a correct path either on Google earth or on the Topo maps. As I was taking the path north as described, I came to what were very obviously the two described unique natural features. One of these natural features is rare enough to find but to find two of them side by side as shown on the old map is indeed an extreme rarity, and to find them according to all the other details at the very place described it was clear I had found it. I could not believe my eyes; I had to go over it several times before I could believe it myself and finally the reality set in... You did it! I thought... I could not wait to call John to show and tell him, but my need to be certain would put this off for many months in order to find additional evidences.

After discovering the main cache location, I was trying to learn more about the whole story thinking there must be others who may know something about this, the main cache site has an unusual name and doing an internet search only one hit came up which took me to a web site wherein someone had posted a similar story, yet with much fewer details. As it turned out, the individual who posted the story was also trying to learn what he could and after talking with him for some time, he agreed to send me his four stories that he had found in very old journals, one of which had been published in a turn of the century treasure book. These four other stories were written by four other captains of the same gang of banditos but at different time frames spanning nearly 150 years. Each told their own stories but all talked of the same famous cache site of which their goal was explained to permanently cut off the supplies of Gold to Spain in hopes that the Spanish would leave their country. In addition, their goal was to fill this cavern with only gold which was mentioned to be located in an unusual geographical feature. The silver is given to have been put in other places nearby, and it would seem by the old document that their goal of filling the cavern with only gold, finally occurred in the late 1700s after nearly 200 years of robberies.

I found an unusual name in the document that I had first received that I knew did not exist in the other four documents and made mention of it to one individual. He responded and was very curious as to how I could have possibly known that name because he knew it was on his document which he was certain he knew no one else had. After talking with him for some time we finally decided we had the same story and we exchanged documents, but I never told him that I knew where the cache was. I told him the story of how I had received it and he reciprocated with his story of how he got his copy. He explained to me that he was in the very same village in which he had relatives who knew the family who shared the document with Jim. It would seem that at nearly the same time Jim got his copy, my new contact in Mexico was shown the very same document and he was allowed to type verbatim the Spanish contents of the old document. It is a copy of this which he shared with me in exchange for my English copy. As a result of receiving this Spanish copy, I have discovered that Jim’s English copy contains some mistakes; nothing serious but nonetheless it contained errors.

A year after Jim’s passing, my friend John called Jim’s wife to offer his condolences, he asked about the copy of the Spanish document and it was discovered that she so much despised his hobby and was sick of people calling her, that she burned all of his research.

The Old Document of 1770

Of the 5 documents telling of this main cache location, the Old Spanish Document of 1770 is the most descriptive one. This document is centered on a particular robbery which resulted in the death of many banditos and 60 plus Spanish soldiers. The shipment (by the way they talked about it) was considered to be one of the largest of the shipments stolen over a period of nearly 200 years by the banditos. It is said that within that the shipment were 400 Mules carrying silver of about 150-200 lbs (Carga) per Red Dun mule and 80 mules carrying gold. This robbery and the two loads of gold accomplished their goal set about 130 years previous, to fill the cavern in this 1770 occurrence. Another cavern nearby was being used to cache the silver.

In 1728 another account of a robbery is given by an earlier Captain of the Banditos that is about the same magnitude as the 1770 robbery. Just these two robberies, conducted nearly 40 years apart, represent in today’s value in the hundreds of millions. Imagine if the 10 other cache sites mentioned in the 5 documents were found, and you were to include all the gold and silver which had been used to fill the main cavern for nearly 200 years, the main cache site could reach well into the Billions. Explicit instructions are given in at least two of the documents, but the 1770 document is without a doubt the most descriptive, but this is only beneficial if you can discover the locations of the place names and the likelihood up until about 1986 was very slim... unless you happened to be the friend who was one of my sub-contractors and just happened to be looking for the vast lost treasure of the Brena.

The Hidden Treasures of NEW SPAIN PART 4 and 5

 

Treasure Fantasy

Many treasure hunters have come and gone, and many varieties exist today, some skilled in the things they have experience but of the Spanish Treasure hunters of the past and present I have found, have formed their opinions based on distorted information, and passed it down to those who have been unsuspecting, of these I will say no more. It has been portrayed as the romance of the mystery in books, articles and even the movies as to the simplicity of chasing the legends, treasure hunting is so much more entailed than flying along in your helicopter and spotting a cave, landing and walking 20 feet from where you land and just a few yards into the cave where lies a dead Spaniard in his armor and his arm draped over a large treasure chest. Nicoles Cage never had it so easy... I wish it were that easy...

With this I will also elaborate upon another fallacy. Many today believe that once you have found the treasure site, the work is done; they often comment, “well dig it up!” as if you can just drive to the nearest town, grab a track hoe and a large truck take it back to the site and load the fruits of your labors! I got news for ya… Once you have found the treasure site, the fun is over, the thrill of the hunt is gone, the mystery resolved, and now the real work begins at least for me. Unless you stumbled upon a saddle bag long forgotten, containing some gold or silver coins or a few bars, and you can keep your mouth shut, then there is no work, enjoy your find.

Recently I heard the words uttered by a student of treasure hunting books, a story I heard many years ago and even in a very small way, a part of... and because of the time that has past, gaining more and more of the information and knowledge of others, I had learned the truth of the matter… the words expressed with amazement from this inexperienced yet excited young man was, “Someone found 500 Gold Bars!” Now although this may be true in that at some time, in some place someone may have done this but the story he was repeating it from, originally was supposed two saddle bags, and the story grew from there and there is much more to that story... 

Monty’s Gold

Countless stories have been written by the many who have come and gone, writers of treasure with the flair of the pen creating fantasy, or exaggerated truths. If the typical treasure writer would do the homework required they would have no need to take such liberties with the pen, a true researcher would find the evidences of the story before they write about it, rather than create their own story line, but then, where is the books sales in that right? Stories such as Moctezuma’s Treasure, Freddy Crystals caves, and the Lost Dutchman, mixed in with the Peralta stones, some have even managed to tie them all together in their vivid imagination, in effort to sell books, because they know, the typical reader will buy most anything, and I do mean "fall for anything"

Truth be known, and I challenge anyone to do the research behind it, is there a Moctezuma Treasure? Surprising to some the answer is Yes there is… However a serious student of the history of the Aztec, will find at least 3 accounts of the Aztec written by qualified individuals and they were not Treasure Writers and at least one was not a Spaniard yet the 3 records corroborate each other. The treasure of Moctezuma is mentioned in all 3 records, however it is made clear that the treasure is handed down from one Emperor of the Aztec to the next, and that it was ALL accumulated IN Mexico. It is also made clear in the records that after the first attempt of the Spanish to raid the treasure of which they were mostly unsuccessful, the treasure was taken by he Aztecs to one of the MANY cenotes and thrown in, no where in the 3 records that I recall were they instructed by Moctezuma to do so, nor did I find any instruction from Moctezuma, for the people to take he wealth “Back” to a place it did not come from… I will not attempt to explain where the false story of Moctezuma’s treasure being brought back to the North came from. Is there what would be considered treasure and even that of the Aztec here in the North? If I said yes, would you believe?

The Dutchman Mine and the Peralta Stones

Now... I'm not going to tell you the story of the Dutchman isn’t real, why? Because I don’t know, and I don’t care, I’m not a miner… I am a researcher. Then along the way comes what is presumed to be, the "Peralta" Stones, The stones I do indeed believe in the authenticity of them, however, how one managed to mix them in with the Dutchman story I will never understand. As for the Peralta Stones, the story has become so twisted; added upon and altered it is difficult for the casual reader to discover the real story and to top that off, some of those so called professionals of Academia who believe knowledge comes from a paycheck, have deemed the stones as fake with no compelling evidence as if this somehow makes it a fact. In addition how the stones received the name of the Peralta family which without a doubt existed, I am left wondering. It is very plausible that the stones were at one time property of the Peralta family, and lets just say they were. We then go to the original place reported as to where the stones were found at a location east of Florence Junction which is not hard to discover if you just do a little metaphorical digging. My first question would be, why would a searcher of the past drop the stones where the trail begins? In fact, why would the stones be dropped where the trail ends? But let’s look at some common sense here, anyone who takes the time to highlight the 3 rivers in the area suspect of the stone map, can clearly see, that the rivers or drainage's presumably portrayed on the map, is not the Salt River, the supposed Upper River, and Queens Creek, the supposed Lower river, inscribed on the presumed authentic stone maps. If it is as many have supposed, the map would no doubt be pertaining to the Superstition mountains and “May” tie in with the Dutchman story… however…

Let’s take a common sense look and give the author of the stones some credibility as to accuracy, even though they had obvious aerial view disadvantages. Below are the 2 rivers in question in addition to a 3^rd proposed intended river, each is a general tracing from a 30 Minute USGS map (left). Compare to the stone map (right) showing what everyone seems to agree is a rendition of rivers, the stone map below is also a digital copy of the original.

I dunno… You tell me which rivers were intended…

If my analysis is correct then the Peralta stone map has nothing to do with the Superstition Mountains, and if you follow the instructions of the map and applied to the new found area, you will find your self at the center of the heart, at the James DeNoon Reymert Silver mines. Mr. Reymert with an interesting background, you will find was a lawyer among other things, why would this lawyer suddenly after moving the Chili for several years for health puposes, where in the Peralta Family was known to have lived for centuries, return to Arizona and suddenly turn to mining and miraculously strike it rich on a whim in his first venture? There is so much more to the story, but this will have to suffice, or is it possible there is still some things you don't know about these stones, and the Peralta Land Grants?

Useless Maps

I hear occasionally of those who have gleaned some information from Spain, or the archives of Mexico, managing to sneak some photos of a map or a document and these people spend years searching, chasing their tail because they do not realize, it is one thing to have a map, and even a charted course, but… IF YOU DO NOT KNOW… how to read the signs and symbols left behind, carved into the rocks, encoded into the rock monuments or the quickly decreasing number of trees bearing AUTHENTIC signs, designed to assist the searcher in finishing the quest to relocate what was meticulously hidden, you may as well shred that map and go home. I can’t count the times I have been told, I found a mine dump! Great… I always think. If you have found a mine dump, you have found one of two likely things you have found a mine of the late 1800’ to early 1900’s, or.. a Spanish mine which has been mined out long before and left for anyone who wants it. I suppose a third possibility exist in that that you may have found a mine which while mining, the party had been intercepted and slaughtered by Indians, however if this were the case, the Indians would have concealed it unless the workings were to extensive, unfortunately for them, some mine dumps are impossible to hide due to the size.

The point being to this section, don’t believe everything you hear, just because the individual telling you claims to be an expert or the book you read says so. Use your common sense, don’t be a sucker, question everything, DO YOUR RESEARCH.

PART FIVE

Editing of Part 5 by

Tracy Gardner    

Ok, so, why were these people coming here? Meaning, why in the 1500’s and for the next 200 years were the French and the Spanish apparently looking for this elusive lake Copala?

Some of the readers may find the following as vague, but this I cannot help, as we must face the facts, there is a large population out there, and quite frankly, the majority does not need to know of the finer details.

The following is not placed here as a matter of fact, it is and should be considered as a hypothesis. Some in the academic world would likely say it is ridiculous, speculative and some may even bark the words “profoundly subjective!”  But this is primarily because they will not see the evidences that corroborate the hypothesis and this because I will not give the evidences here, and they even on their best day would never think to look for them. I could place the evidences IN THEIR HANDS, and they still would not believe… because they have no belief.

Aztlan

Something of the ancient past has drawn many cultures to this land, and it would seem with some distractions of potential wealth, or should we just go with greed?  the target area seams to be a place the Aztec refer to as Aztlan, others have called it by slight phonetic differences such as King Arthur’s said to be, “Mythical” Avalon, and Plato’s Atlan-tis, did I spell that correctly?. and what of the place mentioned in the book of Geneses, in the garden of Eden, Havilah?What is this place and what is it about it that draws the people from ancient times to seek for it? Why is so much emphasis placed on the Aztec? Well if anyone would take the time to read their history one might find that in the Aztec history, there are accounts of many people coming to this land. Although Aztec is not their very ancient name, the people who make up the Aztec people have been here since the land was first inhabited since the great flood, yes the one mentioned in the Bible. These people have not only been around since the beginning, but they are also a make up, a mixture, of nearly all those who have visited this land in the last 4500 years when man first set foot on this land around 2400 BC, which land had been swept clean about 300 years prior.

Eden 

The origins of this seeming mythical place may begin as far back as the beginning of mankind, no, I do not mean the monkeys whom some believe they are descended from, maybe they are, but I am Adamic Man. It's really going to upset some of the academics when they find out that monkey came from man, but I’m talking about those people of the Bible known as Adam and Eve who originated on this planet in what was known as the Garden of Eden.

There are many hypotheses of where this garden was, but my belief, based on intensive study and research of 30 years, and not due to some orthodox belief, places its location here in the west. My efforts certainly do not make me correct, but my effort and evidences certainly make it more plausible than the orthodox belief. I never could get used to doing or believing something, just because the majority is doing it or believes it… In fact I have found that whatever it is the majority believes or does, is likely the wrong thing.

Now although I suspect it pertains to another land, other than a Promised Land, “a land of Milk and Honey”, there is an odd incident that occurs in Numbers 13 wherein Moses sends out “Spies” to the land of “Canaan”. I will leave it to the reader to ponder, but at this time I suspect this land of Canaan in which Moses sent his spies, is not the Promised Land, the land “flowing with milk and honey". The Israelites were also given a chunk of desert along the west shores of the Mediterranean, I must be honest however, my play of words suggests that God gave them a wasteland, if truth be known, in the days it was given, Jerusalem and its surrounding area was a beautiful tropical land. What happened?

Solomon 

King David is said to have traveled to this Land of Promise before his son Solomon, or should I say King Hyrum who was sent by Solomon, to a place many have speculated about. We don’t have much by way of King David but his son Solomon gives a fair account which has had many of the academic world looking in Africa of all places, Why? Lets just say we do not consider the same books… In the first book of Kings, Hyrum returns from this land called Ophir, and immediately the story of the Queen of Sheba begins….

I have a belief, that man has been circumnavigating the globe at least since the first boat was built as recorded in the days of Noah. However, the place wherein King Hyrum, who was the King of Tyre, went and returned from and the place where in Hyrum and his men taught the servants of the Queen of Sheba concerning King Solomon, was here in the west. No sooner than Hyrum returns from Ophir is the story of the Queen of Sheba told, more likely the Queen of Shem-bha or Shem-Bahala, (Children of Shem). Now we begin to understand how the great country of China, with the Tibetans has lost one of its greatest, now mythical, cities; Shambhala. Why can’t they find it? Because they're looking on the wrong continent…

Maya

However if the Mahayana Buddhist would think a bit, specifically of the Mother of Buddha, Maya… they just might find this mythical city of Shem Bhala, at the place wherein the name is given to the people of Maya, the Mayan people, yes, those of the Yucatan. What does this mean? It means the Queen of Sheba, who was a Queen of India, the queen of those who had migrated to the Americas and had colonized it long before Hyrums visit, had heard of Solomon through her servants who met Hyrum and his men as they explored the regions of this mythical place that would later be called Aztlan. The evidences of this Hindu people in place names are all over the Americas and even in their religion from which Buddhism was derived, is rooted in the Aztec religion, and has left its mark upon the Hopi, Navajo, Apache and others. Some say it is purely coincidental that the story of Sheba occurs right after Hyrum’s return, but how would they explain the two verses of Chapter 10, 11 and 12 of 1^st Kings concerning Hyrum’s journey being interjected right in the middle of the story of Sheba? Another strange coincident I’m sure.

Was the Queen of Sheba, Maya? Mother of Solomon’s son? Or was she the wife of Buddha? He is known for his immense wisdom, beyond any other man… other than one- Solomon. I didn’t loose you there did I?

If the foregoing implications have any merit, the entire foundation of Hinduism and  Buddhism, its very creation, is based on a simple Biblical story that is often read over with narrow, and superficial eyes. The forgoing story would no doubt have been passed down within the bloodlines of Solomon. The Davidic Kings, whom I am certain journeyed to find this place in which Solomon’s friend, King Hyrum visited in his 3 year journeys... I would be happy to discuss the evidences Hyrum brought back…

One of two Mayan Temples found in… Indonesia, archaeologist can’t deny, nor explain.

They claim is was built in the 1400’s

Tonatiuh the Aztec Sun God on a Hindu artifact? You tell me?

Lehi

How many other cultures came to this land during the next 300 years is unknown, perhaps none, however according to the Aztec, Mayan, and some western tribes and according to the (controversial to some) text of the Mormon book we find that about 600 BC another people came to this land in at least 3 separate groups. If true, these people came for religious and physical freedoms, in fact according to their story, they were “brought” here…

Fusang

According to the Legends of the Chinese, Emperor Shi Huang set sail in 219 BC to a place they apparently already knew as Fusang. The reason for this first voyage would lean towards religious purposes. A later expedition however in about 400 AD gives much more details and a description of a place that in my mind, can be none other than the Grand canyon. Interestingly enough of all the descriptions concerning the indigenous found to be living there, it is said they were a well disciplined people yet had no religion, and so they (the Chinese) taught them of Buddha to the point wherein it became well rooted. I find it ironic that the Chinese migrants who taught the indigenous of that day, were teaching the descendants of those who taught their own ancestors. It is said the indigenous were living abroad in well organized cites, and in large Caves within the Canyon, Imagine that...

Indo-Greeks

It was in the last century BC wherein the shores of the Americas would begin to see the first wave of Europeans since the days of Solomon during the last days of the Roman Republic and the Indo-Greek Kings and as a result of Alexander the Greats campaigns in India. I am certain sensitive historic maps and records were discovered among the ancient royal people of the Queen Sheba, or should we just call her Maya? This seeming accumulation of information seems to have sparked a wave of expeditions to follow beginning as early as 100 BC. I am certain this information corroborated the existing information in the hands of the many European Royals.

Allow me now to veer lightly from the topic- Consider this silver coin found in India bearing the profile of what is believed to be a “100 BC local ruler wearing Roman-type helmet with bristles”. Are they kidding?

I don’t see an Indian wearing a Roman helmet, I see a

Mohawk, Mohican or Pawnee Indian.

Not much is known about the early colonization efforts of the Greek Colonies as it is only mentioned in a later record found on... once again, presumed hoax artifacts believed to be from 1000 AD. However it occurred during a period from 100 BC to about 300 AD and these colonies were presumed to have been overthrown by the Indigenous and run off, assimilated or annihilated. One might consider once again that controversial book, and ask, exactly who were the Gadianton robbers, where did they come from and why do the only ones named have Greek names? Interestingly enough this colinization ended in a period the early Romans of which the Indo Greeks were a part, as the period of the fall of the WESTERN Roman Empire. One might consider at this time… Just who were these Ancestral Pueblo people any way? It is however quite possible they are those who built the many named cities which appear in the old Latin Maps, the same maps that the academic world never address, and even those unnamed 7 cities around lake Copala. You can read more about this mythical lake Copala and the 7 Cities by clicking the Link found at the end of this part...

Arthur

Now comes a famous British King of the Past, but before I give him a name, let me ask if you have ever heard of “ Recent Studies” Because Wiki sure quotes him a lot but I can never find his sources. When I do, it amounts to nothing more than another guy often quoted by the name of Orthodox Belief. I am sorry, but I am going to go off into a tangent for a bit… not because I cannot control myself, but because we need to understand these two individuals often quoted in the works of those in the digital scholarly Pharisees pages of today- Mr, Wiki! with his buddies Recent Studies and good old Orthodox Belief… Well I would like to introduce them to a friend of mine as it appears they do not know him… His name is “Original Source” oh how I wish they could play nice…

Just one simple guy named King Arthur has received much attention on the all mighty and powerful pages of Wiki, but in the lengthy and largely useless article laden with footnotes at the end, we find 108 footnote resources. What this means is, no less than 100 (educated?) opinions. Keep in mind, if any of them have any credibility regarding the subject of Arthur, they would have all had to have read and studied the original source material! Why oh why, do they always have to rationalize simple meaning… telling us what the author actually meant? Have you ever noticed that according to today's scholarly writers that in past times writers of the ancient past never said what they meant nor meant what they said? Aren’t we lucky to have the scholars of today to tell us what they really meant…

King Arthur in the early 6^th century was known for his traveling to a mysterious Island called Avalon, the place where his sword Excalibur was forged. The evidences are few, however other things lead to the possibility that Avalon and Aztlan are one and the same. It is said in the “Arthurian Legend” that after being wounded in a battle he was taken to Avalon to heal, later after his death he was taken there and buried… Of course no one seems to know where Avalon was other than a stab in the dark guess at the Canary Islands, but it was so much easier turning this Welsh History into a legend… and now, mythical status...

Needless to say, I now cannot look at the pictograph, and petroglyph of the Kings panel in Dry Fork Canyon near Vernal Utah without pondering the possibilities of whom it is that is entombed nearby…

I could be wrong, But I think Arthur might have found where

King Hyrum was going… If not, he certainly came very close…

 Roman Jews?

Now comes in 775 AD, the Roman Colonies, and again interestingly enough occured at a time the Romans refer to the "rise" of the WESTERN Roman Empire, ... strange... The majority of the evidence of this exploration or better yet migration and colonization, comes from a discovery that was made in 1924. It would seem the skeptics were a little slow in jumping all over this one as it was no doubt an authentic find with authentic artifacts. Do you have any idea what effort it would take, to create 31 lead artifacts, some of which were 90 lbs, out in the middle of the desert in 1924, headed up by a gravel pit worker, and the study it would have taken to create a story using authentic old Latin and Hebrew? AND THEN encase the objects in cliche of all things, (believed at the time to indicate great antiquity) in such a careful fashion that a team of archaeologists, who recovered a majority of the artifacts, would not notice? What was the motive? The very substance of cliché had been formally used as evidence of the great antiquity of anything found within it, and NEVER something made from historic times, of course until this discovery. NOW the evolutionists are claiming cliché can form very quickly… how convenient… Can you say back peddling? 

Notice the Latin words, and although I know most will not see it,

there is also Hindu origin words

Anyway, the story told upon the artifacts tells the story of Roman Colonies in 775 AD, coming to the place of Calalus (Mistranslation of Calicuas) which strangely enough is the very word used and found on the earliest known Latin Maps. It tells of their bringing the Toltec into submission, bondage and Captivity. Funny… why were the Spanish of the 16^th century using old Latin maps? Did they speak Castilian or not? The Castilian language (Latin Based) came from those of the Castile Kingdom which came into existence about 1000 AD ending around 1300. These are the very people who were derived from those of Septimania of 500 to 700 AD after the Muslim conquest. Why is this important? These so called Spanish Maps of the New World, are laden with names associated with those of Septimania, and the old Latin language prior to what is considered Castilian and the Castilian influences. But to complicate it further, Septimania didn't exist in Southern France, it was here in America.

None to my surprise, it was very clear in reading the many expedition documents starting with Columbus, and including Juan Ponce de Leon 1513, Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Friar de Niza, Antonio de Espejo many more and even Coronado, were ALL OBVIOUSLY looking for existence of PREVIOUS Castilian occupation! WHY?

One last little note for some who may see… When the Roman colonies arrived in 775 AD they were the typical Roman Catholic, but for some reason 300 years later after finally being expelled by the Indigenous peoples (being the Toltec this particular round) they returned to their homeland, (except those who were had intermarried and remained) as Roman Jewish Catholics. Of course the papacy had to accept it, who was going to argue with the Royals? To this day we have in the world Roman Jewish Catholics. The question is, who did they meet here? And where did this Jewish twist come from? I think before it is all said and done, we may find that these people who they met and who taught them Jewish traditions are the true Ancestral Pueblo, or formerly known as Anasazi.

Madoc

Well it didn’t end there… 170 years after the Roman Jews returned to their origins Prince Madoc of the Welsh History made his voyage to the Americas no doubt following in the footsteps of his direct ancestors, King Arthur and Iago Idwal (better known as Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, ruler of the Toltec, builders of the Mexico Sun Pyramid and Lunar Pyramid mistakenly called the moon pyramid), just to name a couple. Now you might understand why so many places in western America carry the name Saint Iago, Santiago, San Diego etc... , but once again history in Wales has been converted to legend in America. It is unclear, by what has been written, if Madoc was even looking for the place the Roman colonies found, the former cities of the  Indo-Greeks who were here some 400 years prior.

Templars

Again those who control the people rose up against their own in 1300. We could talk about the Knights Templar who frequented this land, but I am pretty sure even though they knew where others were focused, that they had better things to do… I think some give them way to much credit in some things, and in other things not enough… Without explanation, I assure you they did NOT haul tons of treasure to this land, they did not come here to hide a cup, and they had no idea where the Ark of the Covenant was… lets not beat this dead horse any longer, it stopped looking like a horse when Orthodox and Hollywood took over…

The Spanish Conquest

A little over 400 years after Madoc, another attempt to conquer the indigenous peoples  and find the heart of the promised land and to satisfy the ever growing lust for Gold came- Columbus, followed shortly thereafter by Cortez and the ruthless Coronado. There is much more to the story of Columbus, he didn’t just wake up one day and decide he wanted to sail far into the unknown west to see if there was anything there. Columbus knew damned well the earth wasn’t flat. Columbus first went to the Royals of Portuguese, gee I wonder why? obviously he knew they had knowledge of this place and were part of the colonization of 700 AD to 1000 AD, not to mention the Templar connection. A remnant of the Portuguese remained here and are a large part of the Melungeon Indian ancestry. The Melungeon were found in the areas of Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky by the first Europeans of the 1500’s, Melungeons are known as a mixed race of European and Indigenous. When found it was clear the language they spoke was intertwined with Portuguese, and when asked of their origins they would answer with "Portageez."

Being turned down by the Portuguese, Columbus approaches the Royals of Spain, it would seem very clear that Spain had much information to support Columbus or at least to see that he wasn’t just heading west aimlessly to the Indies which they very well knew was east. It is suspected that Spain had quite a jump on the French, but it is clear in the French Lahontan’s long river expedition, that he at least knew of the existence of the target lake but apparently had no name to attribute to it. Lahontan never made it to the lake he pursued, turning back somewhere along the upper waters of the Missouri. Yet somehow the cartographer of the Moll Map still managed to capture the very shape and essence of the elusive lake Copala even though they never found it? these guys were good!... In the cartographer notes he states that the map was made from earlier drafts How early? It is interesting to note that in these droughts of the elusive lake is shown with a primary river exiting and heading EAST into what is today's, Missouri river drainage. There is a group of people today that might find this extremely interesting, if they could just wrap there head around it, oh how these little clues tell the stories unknown...

Moll Map of Lahontons Journey aside the 33 million year old Lake Copala

The Unnamed Emperor

I am certain others have come to this land in ancient times that we do not know of. The latest of which you may not believe was a King and Emperor who came here himself in 1918. He seemed to have no trouble finding his way to a key location in the Uinta Basin, and even bought up much property. No one really knows exactly why he was hear, but it certainly was NOT to secure the wealth of the Rhoades mine as fantasized by one.. and was known to this man as chicken feed compared to what he was seemingly searching for. Circumstances overseas eventual required his attention to the degree that he had to abandon his efforts and his properties were eventually sold off by his representative with the last piece selling in 1943.

The Question

In all that I have written in this part 5, I have not really answered the question, “Why were they coming here?” Let me answer by saying that many but not all who came in the past knew this was the very place promised to the Israelites of the ancient Abrahamic covenant. As a result many have tried to obtain this land for themselves there are things here that are of ancient origin and of great archaeological value, what they did not understand however is that the promise to the Israelites carries a curse as well, “that who so ever shall posses this land shall be free from bondage and from captivity and from all other nations,  if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ,” otherwise they will come into bondage and captivity or when they are ripe in iniquities, they will be swept off. But lets just write that off as a mythical hoax and leave it to Recent Studies, Orthodox Belief and their new friends Hollywood and  WIKI.

To The Legendary Lake Copala