End of the Spanish Trail
Located off of the Black Canyon freeway twelve miles north of Black Canyon City and Rock Springs and east of the Bradshaw Mountains is the lower part of Bloody Basin. Left behind from the echoes of a past time long ago are the vast and empty remnants of what was once the Spanish Quarters of a conquistador and his three arrastras.
According to the author's father the history and lore of the name comes from a bloody war between Indians and a Conquistador Tesoro de Castallanza who was pushed out, although the last part of his true or full name is unspecified, unclear, and quite blurry. Most likely he was pushed out rather than being killed due to the guilt the Indians had for him. The reasons for guilt could be many, for example, if he shared some Indian blood with them from bonding.
The arrastras lie on the east side of the Agua Fria River, and on the west side north of a gulley are petroglyphs and pictographs. Among these depictions of artwork is a cross signifying the end of the trail, which is believed to be part of the "Old Spanish Trail" that leads its way through Juarez, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.
The trail was laden by large mule packs used to transport gold ore to ships located in areas such as Galveston, Texas in order to take large quantities of gold ore back to Spain. And the trails were built and warn in for one reason, to keep the mule packs coming and going. Of course a stall would of have to of been built to keep the mules in line for proper care and maintenance. Remnants of nails have been found at this site indicating the use of such stalls.
Many arrastras were used to crush gold ore until all of the gold nuggets were fully exposed from the conglomerate. The arrastra was built by setting a firm foundation of smooth river rocks around forming a circle. The flat sides of the river stones were laid flat to give a wider bottom. Placed at the center of the arrastra was a large stick or wooden pole. The first arrastras were built and used by tying mules to a rope which was then placed around the wooden post. The mule was then whipped sporadically around in circles crushing the gold from the ore with its hooves.
After De Re Metallica, a written mining and prospecting book, future designs were designed by forming a shallow and narrower hole with flatter rocks tightly pushed together at the bottom. Then a huge boulder was dropped onto the ore which was raised by leverage of a large pole or stud. The mule was still continually flogged around the stone mortar to drag the large boulder around crushing the gold from its ore.
These arrastras were used to crush the gold ore which was mostly conglomerated. The conglomerate used in this area was found in remote areas from gold veins where deposition was higher, or the conglomerate was found near the bedrock below the river bed. There are many traces of holes along the river bed surrounded by boulders.
Eventually this concentration which was a naturally occurring material was in a large form that the mining was very profitable. When the availability of the minerals and gold had diminished and became scarce the Indians revolted pushing out the Spaniards creating a bloody war.
The "Old Spanish Trail" is older than we know. There are places where memories of the trail are still plainly visible to the eye. However many bits and pieces are mulled over by vegetation, and trampled over by rain and flash flooding. And they only become harder to recognize as time carries on through with its eroding processes.
So how popular is the "Old Spanish Trail" in the modern world today? Well there's a street in El Paso, Texas which is named after it, although its age and when it was first formed is wholly a mystery. Most of what some scholars would call new documents describes the trail as aged as the 1400's, though on the other hand the trail can be refuted to be much older.
Going back to the days of Hernando Cortez the old trail originated by making its journey from Mexico City, nevertheless before the explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado the trail was forged as far North as Compostela and even to the city of Culiacan. Eventually the old trail would be pushed further north towards areas like Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming.
The "Old Spanish Trail" contributed its purpose of being a highway of travel to the land of Cibola and its riches. Its main means were to furnish Spain with the abundance of lots of gold ore and minerals. In fact Cibola wasn't begun by Cortez or Coronado; it was aged before the times of Columbus who is famous for it. This led to a vision to search further for other cities such as Teguayo, a name which was later changed from Timpanocutzis to Utah Valley.
If the truth is to be told, we could say that the reality of when the Indians began mining for gold goes back to a period during the history of pre- Spanish times which can be verified. There are a few archaeologists and scientists that can prove that through the dating of turquoise found in older mining tunnels which have been dated and aged as far back as ore the first documented and chartered Spanish arrivals.
That's fascinating; these proven facts put us in the proper chronological time frame to prove the Indians were spellbound about gold and minerals long before the birth of Jesus Christ. Conversely we could say that the Indians have been aware of the uses of gold since the time of "Alexander the Great" and "Augustus."
Another important actuality is how much influence the country of Rome had on Spain during that time. The reality that Rome took over the Mediterranean Sea from the days of the first Punic War helps support our muse and spiritual writer St. John the Divine. In the year 201 B.C. the Carthaginians had lost their control over Spain and by 206 B.C. New Carthage, Spain was overtaken by Roman rule. First Rome took over the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. Then Spain became province of Roman control and influence overnight.
So what does all of this mean? This means that the city of Rome had lots of influence on Spain through their writing. The writing structures of stories like the "Iliad" and the "Aeneid" had made their way to the island of Patmos bringing the visionary life of the New World through exploration.
Getting back to the Conquistador images as a footnote from history, we realize the need to relate the image of Cabeza de Vaca to the time of the first actual conquistadors. It's our way to individualize the fact that there is another theme or subject of the past involved somehow or someway indirectly with his search for a city filled with the riches of lavish gold.
We could use this as a way to connect the images of a conquistador who investigates the accounts of a name that means "Treasure" and then discovers the south eastern corner of Arizona. This analogy can connect the two in a historical context considering the fact that the accounts of an earlier journey along with records and documents which have been lost for 1459 years before the time of his birth in 1492 must have been in his possession. And the only name to pin on this unique individual is a name that means "Treasure." Either way his tale holds the record for the earliest exploration of Arizona.
Talking about the conquistador, if one fact of terminology is Tesoro, then the other fact of terminology would have to be the image of whoever had the documents to such a territorial account. In this case the other figure would have to be Cabeza de Vaca who turned his misfortunes to Mexico City.
But then, on the other hand it is a fact that it takes the proper documents to authenticate a Conquistador in to actual History discussions. The most important of the documents is a Land Grant from a King. Before the expedition a King would have given the Conquistador a document over a particular province or territory. Another important document would be a Charter which accounts for all Seafaring routes to and from this documented Land Grant or Province.
It is believed that the first Spaniards to make their way in to Arizona was Cabeza de Vaca and his three companions who built rafts and decided to sail to Mexico after being stuck in Florida, although they ended up in Galveston, Texas. Without the aid of their horses they forged their way through Texas and New Mexico while making their way traveling through the southern tip of Arizona before arriving in Culiacan in Sinaloa. It was many years along the road before they forged their way towards Mexico City. Within a due course of time many tales proved them to be the first documented visitors of the Arizona territory. And this documented entrance in to Arizona may have pulled the enthusiasm of Conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado to make his goal of finding the "Seven Cities of Cibola."
It’s no wondering that Coronado continued the search ending up in Utah Valley and places such as Wyoming when in search of the "Seven Cities of Cibola" and its treasures. Obviously the records of Cabeza de Vaca were left incomplete, which proves that Cabeza de Vaca was truly hiding the records of an earlier discovery for himself and his companions.
And there are records of South American Kings acquiring or using the proceeding name "Tesoro" when buried with treasure. It's a name used for kings who are buried in a burial site within a kingdom. Most kings are buried with personal ornamental jewelry and precious objects to represent them in a sort of afterlife which makes their burial site a so called "Treasure Chest." And usually their names would follow the word treasure with such discovered evidence such as the acquaintance with the discovery of the Conquistador’s vest. For example, one possible name could be, "Tesoro de Cabeza de Vaca." This means, "Treasure of Cabeza de Vaca." However Cabeza de Vaca returned and wrote of his misfortunes, and was never buried with treasure which in return can create an argument as well. Especially considering how there is no record of a burial site with his personal ornamental jewelry. And there is no record of a treasure chest full of such jewelry, which would feature some sort of value. Furthermore, this bible documented Conquistador is an unproved name tied to the word "treasure" also having the disadvantages of misfortune only to set the record somehow as we try to recognize some images.
(And getting back to the Roman influence in the region, we could say that the most influence during the time of Conquistador Tesoro de Castallanza, the one with the most influence would be Pontius Pilate, or someone under his Roman influence to sign such a Land Grant or Charter. However these lands were organized by the first Roman Emperor Augustus before 27 BCE after General Julius Caesar’s Death in 44 BCE.
So who would have signed the Cabeza de Vaca Land Grant and Charter? Most likely the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who inherited the Hispania holdings from his father Emperor Maxmilian? And whose grandparents Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabelle of Castille help set of the Columbus Expeditions in 1506. And when he wanted to turn attention was from the lands being under the control of one man, he gave his brother Ferdinand Austria and the Holy Roman lands, Corsica and Sardinia. But he also gave Philip the country of Spain and the New World . Of course. before this time there were Moors, Celts, and Visgoths.
However his New World holdings were ruined by Elizabeth I when Walter Raleigh returned to England for supplies after leaving John White and his colonists left on Roanoke. That’s when he launched his Spanish Armada to stop further interests in the New World from moving ahead. Nevertheless when England returned they were gone and it is believed the settlers moved to the Carolinas and mixed in with the Croatan Indians.
Furthermore they found their way south by island hopping and eventually settled Jamestown which was one of the 13 colonies. There is even a chance that like the epidemic Center called Ellis Island, during the time of the influenza epidemic of 1918, that Roanoke was an epidemic island. And the colonists were sickened on the long voyage. And this is the reason that it took three years for Walter Raleigh to return with supplies to Roanoke, to let them perish).
Therefore the "Old Spanish trail" exists and it is older than we may possibly ever know, and the treasures that have been discovered on it are very, very real. It's a path leading all of us to the lost mines of a time before the first actual Conquistadors and the gold rushes of California. In addition as time lapses in to the future the disclosures of the "Old Spanish Trail" are becoming harder and harder to find these days. However with these pages within this book and with lots of good fortune the way fares of the knowledge it has to offer will be established and understood completely (Author).
Below is a link to "Mysterious Mineral Collection" subpage 4.