the jesuits erased all mining signs

[peralta]

In my early years of searching for lost mines i had read somewhere that the jesuits took years in keeping a mines location secret.when I did find some, it was true.they always kept the mine area clean and natural looking. No tailings, no holes and if there was an indian raid, they had the entrance rigged to be instantly sealed.
On my map i have the location of a cavern.if I didn't have the map I would never have located this cavern.the cavern has a marking but you have to use two other markings to pinpoint it.everywhere around the cavern etrance location looks completely natural looking. Even all the mines areas look completely natural.
This is how good they are.they knew what was needed when the church followers came with map to retreive the treasures. On the map there is an area marked for digging. It doesn't have a notation of gold or silver, written on the map is the word tools in spanish. Good luck

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[maipenrai]

Can you explain what they did with the tailings? Did you mean instantly sealed while they were inside or outside? What would be the point of sealing the entrance, if that might have been their only shelter from the Indians?

[gollum]

It wasn't only the Jesuits. Most Spanish miners took great care in keeping the exact location of their mines a secret. They would cart their tailings up to several miles away. Especially in the far North where, because of Indians and the Summer Heat they could not mine year round. As they would pack up in late Spring, they would tear down their smelters and arrastras, and seal their mine entrances with rocks, caliche, and plant fast growing plants. Sometimes they would bring in rattlesnakes from many miles around and place them in the vicinity of their mines. Rattlers are very territorial. They will den together, and as long as the food supports them will not move away.

But like the Spanish, the Jesuits did not remove ALL traces of them being there. They would leave signs that other Jesuits should understand. Signs that Spanish or non-Jesuits would have no clue what they meant. I also believe that in many cases, during their suppression in the mid-1700s (Portugal=1759, France=1764, Spain=1767, Parma and almost everywhere else=1773), the Priests that held the secrets died in transit, taking the secrets with them. Since they were not allowed to take anything but the clothes on their backs, their breviaries, and a copy Thomas A Kempis' Book "An Imitation of Christ", any maps or secret symbols were either put to memory and destroyed, or hidden somewhere.

Mike

[dog, the treasure hunter]

good stuff guys,thanks for posting it. i look for them alot, i know there there,but i cant find them yet.