Montezuma's Treasure Vault?, Stone Ruins Discovered While Prospecting |
Montezuma's Treasure Vault?, Stone Ruins Discovered While Prospecting |
Jan 24 2015, 01:43 PM
Post
#1
|
||
Rock Bar! Group: Members Posts: 613 Joined: 16-October 08 From: Central Colorado Member No.: 6,813 |
My wife and I discovered an ancient stone ruins site while prospecting for gold back in 2013.
The site consists of three structures that are constructed onto the natural steep slope of the side of a dry arroyo leading down to a river a few miles away. A query to U.S. Department of Interior returns no knowledge of any previous investigation or other documentation of this site. My first impression was that it may have been a mining or homestead site, a kiln or storage area in the shelter of the arroyo. After looking it over closely, it was apparent that it was built long ago due to the 10 foot depth of erosion observed from the base of the structures to the present bottom of the channel. There isn’t a historic wagon road or trail to the site. There is no near source of water. It appeared to me to resemble the cliff dwellings in SW Colorado more than anything else I’ve seen. The largest of the ruins is a round structure of crude unshaped natural stone blocks, essentially forming a tower with a solid flat top. The mortar material of the 'tower' and the smaller rectangular structures nearby appears to be a kind of course cement made up of pebbles and gravel found locally. The possible ceremonial aspect that gets my attention is the platform at the base that points towards a notch in the horizon at 245 degree (m), the near angle of the summer solstice sunset. There is a possibility that the tower covers an underground tunnel dug into the soft siltstone-shale that forms the bank of the arroyo. The structures might have been covered over after being built by simply pushing down the steep slope some of the fill and alluvial materials found uphill of the ruins. There is still much to be learned at this site and I would appreciate any ideas that you might have. Presently, I am looking into the possibility that these stone ruins may have been constructed by one of the 7 caravans that traveled north with Montezuma’s Aztec Treasure. For sure, the Conquistadors were present in this area spanning many decades after Cortez’s activity in present day Mexico. -------------------- Annual Dues Paying Member Since 2008
Tonko Mining Company "Some day this crater is going to be a greatly talked about place, and if the above credit is due, as is certainly the case, I would like to have it generally known for the sake of the children." Daniel Moreau Barringer 2/1/1912 in a letter about the Barringer Meteorite Crater, Arizona USA |
|
|
||
Jan 24 2015, 02:49 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Master Mucker! Group: Members Posts: 1,282 Joined: 13-January 14 From: Lakewood, Colorado Member No.: 116,305 |
Is there any sort of mortar in-between the cobbles? It almost looks like the ruins of the late 19th or 20th centuries. However on a small screen it's hard to tell.
Edit: just noticed you answered the question I posed already. Sorry about that. |
|
|
Jan 24 2015, 03:57 PM
Post
#3
|
||
Rock Bar! Group: Members Posts: 613 Joined: 16-October 08 From: Central Colorado Member No.: 6,813 |
Is there any sort of mortar in-between the cobbles? It almost looks like the ruins of the late 19th or 20th centuries. However on a small screen it's hard to tell. Edit: just noticed you answered the question I posed already. Sorry about that. The mortar resembles a very poor concrete. Interestingly, there are pieces of wood charcoal that has been preserved in some of the fillings. The calcium has really diffused out of the mortar and coats everything it touches. Keeping in mind that this is an arid environment, rain and snow over time has caused the calcium to seep out onto the stone below the filling in the pic below. -------------------- Annual Dues Paying Member Since 2008
Tonko Mining Company "Some day this crater is going to be a greatly talked about place, and if the above credit is due, as is certainly the case, I would like to have it generally known for the sake of the children." Daniel Moreau Barringer 2/1/1912 in a letter about the Barringer Meteorite Crater, Arizona USA |
|
|
||
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 12th June 2024 - 10:58 PM |