Spanish Gold Mines in the Sandia Mountains

[Crow]

San Luis Obispo Tribune (Weekly), Volume XLV, Number 49, 3 February 1914

Meteorites can worth money. and the The La Luz Mine site is known.

If I was in that part of the world I would be checking that mine side out. If the story is true of course.

that and For the best chance of finding gold in New Mexico, focus on areas with a history of gold mining and where placer gold deposits are known to exist. Specific areas like the Rio Grande Valley district and the Elizabethtown-Baldy district, as well as the Old Placers (Cunningham and Dolores) and New Placers, are known for thicker deposits and higher purity gold, respectively

Crow.

 

[sdcfia]

Correct. the problem I see is fascination of lost Spanish mines. Ironic most miners were probably more Mexican mixed breeds than actual peninsular Spanish. While searching lost early workings can help to find gold deposits to find gold it should not be the sole method.there is hell of a lot of empty abandoned holes in ground virtually barren dug by broken dreams from various time periods. because at end of day the geology will tell where the gold is. I think the Spanish was present and explore the area but even so I do not think the mountain was ever really attractive to the Spanish to mine as there was better paying deposits elsewhere.
. . . . .
Puff here is some thing that might be of interest? I cannot say for sure related to Sandia mountain but definitely worth following up on. nor evidence of Spanish mine.

San Francisco Call, Volume 90, Number 151, 29 October 1901 reported the following

View attachment 2206432

Crow

Yes, the Spanish were all over New Mexico - Mexicans too. As you say, Crow, gold is mostly found where the geology favors it. In the case of the north-central part of the state, that's the Ortiz and San Pedro Mountains, and to a lesser but successful degree, the old Tijeras Mining District in the northern Manzanos. Other than a little placer found here and there further north, the only paying gold mines documented in the Manzanos were the Mary M and Great Combination.

I don't believe in coincidences, so we might assume Richard Saunders' discovery was made in the Tijeras District. Note the 14-mile radius circle originating at Old Town Plaza in Albuquerque. Bottom line to all this speculation Puff - unless you want to poke around in the Ortiz or San Pedros, a closer target area would be the Tijeras District in the Manzanos. Don't get too close to Kirtland AFB.

 

[cyzak]

I can tell you this the Spanish were very good at concealment especially there mines.

 

[sdcfia]

Here ya go, Puff. Lost mine high in the true Sandias, marked with a duck head no less. Somewhere near the La Luz trail. It's a great hike whether you find it or not.