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The Stone Maps Page
This page is going to be devoted exclusively to information regarding the famous Stone Maps.
Enjoy !
The Jesuit Treasure of the Superstition Mountains
Part II
(The Beginning of the End for the Jesuits)
by azmula
There were several hidden political agendas by the governments of the time who feared the power of the Jesuit Order. The Spanish and Portuguese attacked the Jesuits because they feared that the Jesuits would aid the Dutch in taking over their New World holdings. The Spanish Kings were receiving a great deal of pressure from the mining organizations in Pimeria Alta because the Jesuits would not allow the miners to enslave the local Indian tribes to work their mines. The miners claimed that if the Indians could be forced to work the mines in greater numbers the Kings Fifth would increase significantly. The Spanish Kings wanted all of the gold and silver that they could obtain from the new world.
The Jesuits were scholars and teachers who made them the obvious choice to advise nobility and the wealthy in all matters, not just matters of religion. The political advisors of the day feared the influence of the Jesuit Priests at court. Sebastian Joseph Carvalho, the first Minister to the King of Portugal began the first planned attacks on the Jesuits, over the exchange of territory with Spain (in Paraguay). Similar issues came up with Kings of France, Spain and finally the Vatican had to take a stance against the Jesuits for no reason other than pressure from the Bourbon kings.
Similar issues to the above laid the groundwork for the expulsion of the Jesuits from New Spain and all other Spanish colonies in 1767. The fire to purge the Spanish Colonies of the Jesuit influence was fueled by the numerous stories of hidden treasure and wealth of the Jesuit Order. It has been found that most of the missions had metal refining and casting capabilities. Even today there are still significant mining operations near most of the old Jesuit missions. The Jesuits were privy to many communications at the various courts in Europe and Asia. They were aware of the growing plan to drive the Order not only from the Portuguese and French colonies but also from the largest of all, the Spanish colonies around the world.
In the cities of Mexico City and Pueblo, the soldiers closed the Jesuit schools and then ransacked them searching for the expected wealth but found nothing. The schools would stay closed until control was given to the Franciscans. The Franciscans did not have the ability to convert the Indians to the Catholic Church as compared to the Jesuits. The Franciscans could not equal the business acumen of the Jesuits when it came to running their missions and the glory of the Jesuit missions soon fell into decay. Pimeria Alta would not see the quality of teaching by Jesuits until they would return in 1815. The soldiers marched north form Mexico City and as they reached their assigned missions in Pimeria Alta they found meager wealth at the missions. For over ten years the Jesuit priests planned for the day that the expulsion would come. They would cache the wealth that could not be shipped back to the Church in Europe safely. A messenger relay system was set-up to transmit the final notice of the coming soldiers to arrest and remove the priests with all of their suspected wealth. When the final warning was received they stripped their churches and cached the adornments then covered all of the mining efforts. The soldiers found no gold or silver as they had been lead to believe would be abundant at the missions. They tortured the Priests, Indians and in some cases to the death with no results. The Priests had taught the Indians that divulging the location of any wealth to anyone other than a Jesuit would damn their spirit for always. Death was preferable to damnation for an Indian or excommunication for a Priest.
The surviving Priests were gathered up and marched to various ports for transport back to Cadiz, Spain, for trial and imprisonment for most. Many died before leaving New Spain and many more died in prison. There were a select few Priests who were treated as military prisoners of war and others who were exiled to their homelands or monasteries for confinement.
Book Review:
Spirits in the Mountain
by Wayne Tuttle
There are so many variations of what you can expect from any book concerning the Lost Dutchman mine it can be difficult to pick and choose. From the historical perspectives of Corbin and Glover to the personal accounts of Bob Ward and Gene Reynolds there are a maze of theories and opinions that can leave most Dutch Hunters in constant state of confusion of where lies the truth. Some Authors try to find a niche between the aforementioned styles to present an account that is a mixture of fact and good story telling, such as Robert Sikorsky and Curt Gentry. "Spirits in the Mountain" unfortunately delivers none of the above.
"Spirits of the Mountains" is the story of William and Michael Johnson and their interpretation of the Stone Maps. If you are looking for any information concerning the LDM, look elsewhere. Jacob Waltz is simply mentioned in passing and nothing of relevance concerning the history of the mine is brought up in the next 112 pages. There are a few bits and pieces concerning Adolph Ruth and the Johnson’s discovery of a bone fragment in the canyon where they searched. The brothers had the piece tested by a lab technician at the Mesa southwest museum and feel that the expert testimony was inconclusive. They then do a bit of do it yourself chemistry at home to forward their conclusions.
The opening chapter and its reference to a spiral stairway begins the story and will draw you in. While there are other discoveries to come the book has a tendency to be a roller coaster in all the wrong ways. The reader will be drawn through the Johnson’s evidence as it pertains to the Stone Maps, the Ortiz map, reputed psychic phenomena and finally a canyon which is referenced directly in the book.
The lack of research and referenced works distracts from the story itself. The Johnson’s mention Ruth’s accident in California, but say it was caused by a fall from an accident with a horse and refer to the Ruth acquired map as being passed along to Erwin by the Peralta family. Adolph Ruth’s story is tied in by the skull fragment, but though this would seem to be the most tantalizing evidence to follow, they rarely reference the piece afterwards and most of the additional information concerning the alleged fragment is in news clippings reprinted throughout the text. Additionally there is no copy of the Ortiz map or historical accounting of it and the stone map photographs are of poor quality. Some readers will be left confused and looking to the bookshelf for the material that was excluded.
The photography of their area of interest is nicely done for the most part and a hand drawn map of the stone map clues is included as well. Additionally there are photographs of reputed paranormal phenomena that distract the reader and unlike Gene Reynolds humorous take on the number 13, these seem out of place and do nothing to enhance the story line. References the Mithraism, Tarot readings and an oxidized likeness of Jacob Waltz photographed on Mike Johnsons Ice cooler are incorporated as part of the tale and erode the credibility of the Johnson’s premise.
It should be mentioned that the news accounts are not very supportive of the Johnson’s finds and revelations, but the Johnson’s inclusion of that documentation should be commended as giving the reader additional information and a better perspective of the events at hand. The reader may get frustrated at the repetitiveness of the narration, but the Johnson’s do well at keeping things in their proper sequence and give something of a journalistic accounting of their search. Their inexperience in the mountains is obvious, but is handled in an honest and straightforward manner.
Personally I was disappointed that the copy I ordered directly from the site was not autographed by the Authors. It would be a good marketing idea to do so as other local authors have. The cover is well done and the back cover has a photograph of the Authors. A biography of both is included inside.
In conclusion, "Spirits in the Mountain" is clearly defined by the Johnson’s experiences and their interpretations of them. The Johnson brothers clearly believe in their conclusions concerning their find and their presentation is unique. This is not a book for the casual Dutch Hunter and not a core work concerning the Lost Dutchman mine or the Stone Maps. The Johnson’s seem to have reached their own end on their search and hope that someone will follow up on their conclusions.
Spirits in the Mountains is available at www.spiritsinthemountains.com
CENSORSHIP OF HISTORICAL FACTS
by azmula
When we are researching our areas of interest we must always be respectful and observant of the source author’s motives and accuracy. In my own areas of interest I have found considerable censorship and historical inaccuracies due to many issues. I have been researching Jesuit involvements in what was called Pimeria Alta (Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora, Mexico).
When I started my investigations I found that Jesuits wrote the majority of books available and all had been sanitized by translators to the accepted Church position. If non-Jesuits wrote the books then they were only a regurgitation of what the Jesuits had written. I accidentally found that there is a significant resource of research material available in Mexico. This information does not always agree with the Jesuit version but has been developed from documents without regard for the concerns of the Jesuit Order or the Catholic Church.
Censorship is predominately performed by the Church to insure a non-wavering front line to the Church doctrine. The Jesuit Order is one of the finest teaching orders in the Catholic Church but these learned teachers are censored anytime they wish to put forth any document or book. There are many notable examples of books being held from publication for years and the authors being gagged by the Church hierarchy not to speak at all.
Many authors have publicly supported some of the Jesuit writings while in their less read or notarized documents deviate from the Church’s hard line position. Any researcher who keeps an open mind while researching will read between the lines of these obscure articles and find a wealth of information. I always check to see if a book is written by a Jesuit if so I read it differently than I would otherwise. I have a great deal of respect for the Jesuit Order but that does not mean that I believe every "historical" line they write.
Reading Jesuit authored books without cross referencing them against primary sources is no better than accepting Sims Ely, Brownie Holmes, Tom Kollenborn, Milton Rose, or any of the other modern day writers. The only recent writer that I have read who has tried to find all of the primary sources to support his book contents is Dr. Thomas Glover. Even Dr. Glover has found mistakes in his own writings and has made the appropriate corrections.
Jesuits do not normally lie; they will just omit or code topics and issues about Jesuits and the Church that might be construed as negative. I speak or email with Jesuits almost weekly and as long as my questions are general and not pointed they are willing to help but if the topics are a little too controversial things go quiet. I show them the respect that I have not always received from questions on other forums. It is important that when a question is asked to be sure it is not offensive or aggressive to the individual receiving the interrogatory. Just because it is not offensive to the sender does not mean it is received as non-offensive. The fastest way to close a line of communication is to offend your communication receiver. Remember whether on the Internet or talking with someone in Mexico (IMHO!!!) or with "no disrespect intended" does not repair athoughtless comments or attitudes. When communicating do not treat your receiver, as you would want to be treated but treat the receiver as he wants to be treated. If you follow these suggestions when researching south of the border or even on the forum you will save a lot of road rash.
I have tried to enlighten everyone with my experiences doing research in my areas of interest. I do not expect total agreement to my opinions; I am merely putting forth my findings during research of Pimeria Alta in both the United States and Mexico. I have used techniques of communication and research, which work for me personally. I do not just rely on what has been written because there is a great deal of history available from Mexican family records. So good luck in your own research and treat everyone as they wish to be treated.
SPANISH PROSPECTING AND MINING TECHNIQUES
By azmula
For today’s prospector to understand and find the mining operations of the Spanish miners and the Jesuit priests, an understanding of how these individuals prospected and mined the Superstitions is needed. There are many examples of these mining techniques still in the mountains as well as significant quantities of mineralization to be found.
The Jesuit Priests were taught prospecting and mining techniques from a book titled "DE RE METALLICA", by Georgius Agricola, which he wrote in 1556. This book was translated early after its publication into the major three languages of the period, including Latin for Jesuits. The book was found in the libraries of the old Jesuit colleges and had been used to teach the Criolla students in Mexico. "Metallica" was the state of the art book for the mining industry of Europe and later Mexico beginning in the mid-1500. It taught mining techniques from prospecting through smelting and refining of the metals that were being mined. Many of the original Jesuit mission sites had metallurgical sites for smelting, refining the ores and then casting the metal as required.
When the Spanish miners and Jesuit priests started mineral exploration in Mexico and Pimeria Alta they would follow along the rivers searching for variations in stone colors, vegetation, and rock formations which might identify a potential source of mineralization (copper, mercury, gold and silver). Of course they were constantly watching for placer deposits along the river and at the mouth of the canyons opening into the river. A placer at the mouth of a canyon was an excellent indicator of a mineralization source located in the canyon. The miners would work the canyon until they had found the source or determined it was depleted. When they found the source they would work it until it played out. The deposits were sometimes small and required little more than pothole to clean out the deposit. Occasionally a pit was required to work the deposit. When the pit became too deep or the deposit changed direction, a tunnel or shaft might be required to work the deposit. There are even examples of miners working ledges with no more than an 8-10 inch ledge to stand on while working the deposit.
Still today we have many examples of the different mining techniques employed by the early mining operations. There have been many photos of those examples and of the operations placed here on the forum to enlighten our readers. Here are a few more photos included with this article to add to your collections. Enjoy !
(Moreno Hacienda de la Purisima)
MY OPINION OF THE STONE MAPS
There are as many opinions as questions concerning the stone maps.
Are they real or fake? Have they been copied or modified? Who made
them? Why were they created? When were they created? Where do they
lead? One must make two basic assumptions to answer these questions;
first, that they are real maps and second, that they were created in
Sonora, Mexico. After learning that a set of stone maps had been
found buried in the floor of the church residence in Arizpe, Sonora
were stolen while being transported to Parral, Chihuahua; then sold
in El Paso made me believe the two sets of stone maps were actually
the same maps. After I learned of the treasure hunting background of
the Tumlinson Family, I visited the supposed location that the maps
were found and decided there was definitely more to the discovery of
the maps than has been reported in the past. Yes, Virginia two of
the maps are genuine for sure, the other two do not matter (to me at
this time).
(Peralta Hacienda Lands)
When I studied the maps closely I found that there were some markings
that I felt were made by someone other than the original creator. I
have also observed many individuals who seem to enjoy throwing red
herrings based on these additional markings into every serious
discussion that begins on nearly every forum that I have visited. I
am in the process of comparing 18th century stone carvings from
Sonora to the stone map carvings. I am not attempting to date the
maps just to determine what portions of the carvings would appear to
be similar to the original techniques of the time period.
Because of where the maps were actually found and because the
Jesuits were in charge of the mission system of Pimeria Alta, I
decided to do more research in Sonora concerning the Jesuits and the
primary Spanish/Espanol families. Father Carlos Rojas (Roxas) of the
Society of Jesuits was responsible for mission chains in Pimeria
Alta, which included Northern Sonora and Southern Arizona. I have
studied the Jesuits and Father Rojas. The Jesuits were the only order
who were committed 100% to doing what ever the pope demanded which
included saving souls and increasing the cash vaults of the church by
exporting gold and silver to the Vatican. As many people know, I
believe that the stone maps were created by the Jesuits to locate one
of the treasure caches they were unable to send back to the Vatican.
(Jamaica Assay Area)
When we think of prominent Sonoran Families, the Peralta Family is
probably the first to come to mind. However, there are several other
families as notorious or more so than the Peraltas such as Moreno,
Vasquez, Quierros, Ballesteros, and Ochoa. It is very likely these
families were just as involved in mining in the Superstition
Mountains as the Peralta Family.
(Church originally begun by the Jesuit Order in Oposura, Sonora)
I finished a research trip to Sonora over the holidays and I am
posting a few of the photos here to give you a flavor for the culture
of the area and some of the specific historical spots.
The Jesuit Treasure of the Superstition Mountains
(Part 1)
by azmula
When the Spanish explorers discovered and began the exploration of the Americas the King of Spain required that a priest accompany the conquistadors. The Jesuit priests were the most educated and loyal orders to the King of Spain (and to the Pope). The priests were very adept at communicating with the local Indians and converting them to Catholicism. The Indians of the Americas became very committed to the Jesuit priests, the mission system and finally to the Catholic Church and in that order of importance. The Indians would tell the priests where the gold and silver deposits were located in the area. They would even work the deposits and give the precious metals to the priests for the church. The priests never worked the mines them selves, they always had others doing the actual laboring. The King was to receive his royal "fifth" from non-royal mines, but was to receive all resulting wealth from royal mines for which he would only pay the priests 300-400 pesos per year and a flat rate per priest to the Pope. The small stipends were not deemed appropriate by the Pope or the Father General of the Jesuit Order for the risk or the effort put forth by the order. It should be noted that in several missions in South America and in Mexico the total wealth was retained by the church either at the mission or returned to the Vatican for church uses. When the mission maintained control over the wealth it would be buried at a hidden site selected by the mission priests. The best hiding place for the churchs greatest new world treasure would be out of the Spanish controlled area. The King stopped further expansion at the Gila River; so, a cache beyond the Gila but near a major landmark for mapping purposes.
Due to the vows taken by the priests, especially the "fourth vow", the location of the gold and silver was as safe as if it had been sitting in the vaults under the Vatican. The Jesuits fourth vow was "I further promise my special obedience to the supreme Pontiff". A priest would rather die from the most horrible of tortures than to reveal the cache location, break his fourth vow and endure excommunication from the church by the Pope.
The Jesuits were expelled from New Spain in 1767 for many reasons. The negative sentiments toward the Jesuits seem to have begun with the Queen of Portugal and spread to Germany, Italy, Spain, England, etc. There were additional issues between the King of Spain and the Jesuits. The main concern of the king was that he felt the Jesuits were attempting to create their own republics in various areas of New Spain; Bolivia, Paraguay, and Pimeria Alta. The shipments of gold and silver from the missions had dwindled from the expectations of the King and he felt that the royal treasure was being cached by the Jesuits for use by the church. The priests denied the allegations all through their torture and imprisonment by the King of Spain. Even to this day they publicly deny that there ever were any mining interests or treasure caches.
There are many legends of hidden mines and caches of gold associated with various missions. Numerous expeditions have gone in search of the lost treasures and some have purportedly found their bounty. Even the Jesuit church has tried to claim the treasure caches. It was reported that the Treasure of Tayopa was discovered in the Sierra Madre Mountains. One of the first outsiders on site was Father Charles Polzer, SJ. Father Polzer and a companion went to Mexico to claim the treasure for the church, however the Mexican government had already decided otherwise and they were asked to leave Mexico. Another prominent treasure was the Jesuit Treasure of Sacambaya River. The Monastery of Plazuela on the Sacambaya River had cached gold and silver for approximately 11 years before the Spanish King sent in an expedition to collect "his" treasure. The expedition found no priests and the Indians of the region would not admit to gold or silver being located in the area, even under torture and death. However in about 1928, Dr. Edgar Sanders left England and went back to Bolivia for a second time to open the cache of the Monastery of Plazuela that he felt he had found during his previous trip to the area. The results of that expedition are very hazy but after that final visit to the monastery he retired into obscurity.
The above treasure discussions are only samples of the many Jesuit treasure legends that have survived the last two hundred and forty years, since the time of the Expulsion. The Jesuits were very cunning in their concealment of their treasure caches and created sophisticated stone maps to lead them back to the caches after they were reinstated in the Church. Stone was used much as the Egyptians and the Mayas used stone to insure the maps continued existence. These maps have continued to elude the best treasure hunters attempts at deciphering their secrets.
The Jesuit Treasure of the Superstition Mountains
(Part 2)
by azmula
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