The massive Gold and Silver Cache of Majoma

 and others

Taken from copies of the original documents

 

The year was 1777, another 44 years yet before Mexico finally won their independence from the oppressions of Spain but remained under the thumb of the Holy Roman Empire under the name of Catholicism. Since the 1500’s the Mexican Indians had organized much in the same way the Confederates of our Civil War had done, taking advantage and striking the invaders at every opportunity, to weaken them, especially the assaulting of hundreds of shipments of Gold and Silver headed by mule trains for Mexico, occurring at intervals for over 300 years. No doubt these Mexican Indian banditos suffered at times with turmoil from within as their enemy was of the same faith which they adhered to; apparently forgotten and not realizing it had been forced upon their ancestor’s centuries before. Why they still adhered to it I will never understand… 

Like the Confederate soldier of our Civil war, the many robberies were not for personal gain but to weaken the enemy and in the case of Mexico, take away the one thing that kept the Spanish coming back for over 300 years. But 50 years prior to Captain Valentin Castrillon, we have the following account… 

In 1727 Just 50 years prior to Valentin becoming Captain of the Durango band of Banditos, Nicholas Castillo was passed the torch making captain by Captain Jose Ramirez, a Zacatecas Indian “a very brave man indeed” who was seriously injured in a recent assault. After Captain Ramirez had passed, word came from the spies placed in each of the Taverns that a mule train was about to leave Durango and headed for Mexico City. Captain Castillo rounded up the men and they decided to assault the mule train at La Lajita, a place where many assaults had taken place due to its perfect location and nearness to the cavern of Majoma. It was said that 8 Red Dun mule trains containing 10 mules each would be passing through and with his men ready, days later the mule train was on its way and arriving at the chosen assault location. It was a complete surprise said Captain Castillo in his written account, the battle was short and leaving 14 of Castillo’s men dead and 11 injured, but of the Spaniards it was worse, 12 carriers and 19 escorts lay dead, the rest were taken prisoner. Among the wounded was a commanding officer by the name of Canedo, he informed Captain Castillio that the herd of mules under his command were carrying gold tiles, half destined as a gift for the queen of Spain in return for favours received when the donor, the Count of Branciforte, was in Spain. The other half of the booty that we took was meant as a dowry for the wedding of the Countess Anna Maria, daughter of the Count of Branciforte, who was about to marry the Duke of Alba. The shipment of silver was also property of said Count (or Earl). Part was for the crown and part was for the payment of quicksilver, the tithe of the Church; it also contained what corresponded to the viceroyalty and also payment of a personal loan from the Marquis of Sierra Nevada. 

It took many days to make the transfer from the kill site to the caverns of Majoma, and to erase all evidence. The silver and the gold was placed in separate caverns. By January of the next year most if not all of Castillo and his men were hunted down and killed or captured and shot or hung. 

How many robberies took place over the years is not know, The Documents I have been blessed to receive specifically speak of 3 accounts over a period of about 60 years involving Majoma and one not far north of it, however there must be many more as there is no less than 14 other cache sites mentioned... and two more fantastic documents, one in Nayrit and the other beginning in Jalisco and ending in Nayarit, written by none other than one of the Lauriono Brothers, the most revered by the people and famous band of banditos of Mexico. 

Another more fantastic robbery took place in 1777 under the command of Captain Valentin Castrillon, told in the following. 

Captain Valentin Castrillon was now Captain since the Brave Indian and former Captain Mursia had died and left him Valentin in command. 

One day word came through spies, that a rather large shipment was headed their way which consisted of 12 mule trains of 40 mules each, 10 trains of pack mules carrying silver and 2 trains of Red Dune mules carrying Gold and shod with silver shoes. 

Later they would discover the shipment was sent by General Barron de Vilpamaro, lord and master of the large mines of Sonora and Tamazula, he was sending it as tithing to his queen Isabel de España and that is why he sent them like this and the 10 trains of silver were from a convoy that came from Guarisona (Arizona) el Pilar, Gavilanes, San Dimas, Tlayoltita, El Naranjal, Metalito, Palualto, El Alto, others from Topia and other areas. 

Captain Valentin gathered in his men and prepared them for the ambush at the location they knew as Lajita. When the Spanish mule trains entered the brena Valentin attacked, the battle was brutal and by the time the dust settled, 72 Spaniards were dead and 23 of Valentin’s banditos. Immediately the men gathered in the mules and began the short journey of 1 ½ leagues away but it was through some of the nastiest terrain God created. It took days to dispose of the dead many bodies of which were used to create a bridge across a deep desert wash to shorten the distance to the Cavern. 

After the spoils were off loaded and filling even more of the cavern which they at one time vowed more than a hundred years before, to fill this cavern with Gold only, it seemed they had finally reached that goal as they could not get this stone lid back on and to fit tight. Valentin instructed his men to dig shallow trenches around the natural coral which held the cavern and dispose of the remainder of the vast cache. The trenches were filled with silver and gold and it is said it was done hap hazard and that even to this day, some of it remains uncovered. They had the same problem with the silver cache cavern, with not enough room to place it Valentin ordered the men to dig a pit in which they through the over burden of silver and mixing a sort of concrete covered the hole. 

It wasn’t long after that the Spanish authorities had had enough of the constant robberies of the last 150 years or so and an all out effort was organized to hunt down the native banditos. Over the next few short months many of the banditos had been captured and executed and only a few short years after that, Mexico finally won their independence ridding themselves of the Spanish oppressions of the intruders of near 300 years, or did Spain retreat under orders being part of a bigger plan?  Only to be replaced by another foreign enemy, one that they to this day are still unaware.