Real de Tayopa said:
Ladies & Gentlemen: provocative bit of speculation he he he.
Interesting observations as this proposed location offers many of the LAD clues. Let's look at them:
A) We have a canyon complex that is approx. 10 days south of the Border.
This distance lies within the generally accepted range of the search.
B) It was used by the Apache as a stronghold - skull Cave.
Interesting anecdotal item but the Apache had numerous strongholds in the search area.
C) Nana was supposedly in the area in the same time frame.
This would be impossible to verify.
D) The entrance is by a zigzag trail in the Arroyo.
Zigzag trails in canyons are, unfortunately for LAD searchers, common.
E) The entrance is a hidden one, between two huge rocks.
'Hidden canyon entrances' are, unfortunately for LAD searchers, common.
F) To The west are the Cerros Chapos or the twin peaks.
It's amazing how many distinct landmark-worthy twin peaks exist within the search area. I'm looking at a very prominent pair out my window as I type this.
G) the falls are on the right, exiting from the Paramo canyon which wasclaimed to be a very rich gold Placer.
Another interesting anecdote.
There is more, however, as you can see, it can easily be made to fit the LAD and could explain why it has never been found. They were looking in the wrong area. The same as for Tayopa?.
Yes it can. Depending on which set of clues you assemble, hundreds of canyons within the search area can be, and have been, and still are being 'definitely matched' to the LAD.
Can It be that Tayopa and the Lost Adams Diggings are the same?
When you put it that way, nobody can say yes; nobody can say no.
Adams and his many confidants offered numerous versions of this tale over the years that followed the actual event. The discrepancies and confusion with the clues and landmarks make it understandable why the diggings have been so difficult to locate. One thing we know for certain is that Adams himself returned to search for the diggings several times - always within the generally accepted NM-AZ region. He may have been confused about some of the details of the canyon of gold, but he apparently remembered whether he was travelling northerly rather than southerly during the original days of discovery. This is a major stumbling block for a Mexican location.
We wouldn't be discussing a Mexican location for the LAD if it weren't for the Nino Cochise book. While the book is quite a good read, we have a major problem with Nino's credibility. His reputation is, let's say, controversial, among historians and Apaches. I'd be willing to accept the possibility that the Apaches had a gold mine somewhere near Juh's stronghold in Mexico, but claiming that it was the LAD would be too much of a stretch for me at this time. But .... quien sabe?
?? Hmmm
