From the Author:

John "Duke" Wayne and I joined forces in 1974 in FULL TIME TREASURE HUNTING. I had already formed "THE QUEST, AN EXPLORATION CORPORATION" and had also engaged Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in an exclusive contract to advise, research, design and develop needed electronic / optical devices, as well as accompany us, in the field of treasure hunting. Early-on, Duke said: "Well, now that we've got the brightest guys in the world advising us, all we need now is some first class research. Ya know, if we do this right, we may even change the image of treasure hunters."

The very best that a treasure hunter/lost mine hunter can ever hope for is that his information is correct and accurate and that his mine/treasure actually did exist at one time. Then, the only unknown factor is did someone already find it-and deal with it quietly??

The next, and all important factor is the hunter's knowledge/understanding of signs, symbols, trail markers, trail signs and codes used on maps and in the field. Treasure "story" writers have misled the hunter for many many decades. One writer must have surely copied from another and never did research on his own to our detriment.

For example: "The hidden treasure is hidden in a covered mine two (2) leagues southwest of 'X"'. The writer goes on to tell us that a league was between three (3) and three and one half (3 1/2) miles in distance. That is true for a nautical (ocean) league but not on land. A statute (land) league was 2.18 miles. Without question, many hunters must have spent years searching well beyond their true area of interest-due to the story writers. See pages on measurements and try again, it's closer than you thought.

Beginning in 1974 I began making contact both directly and indirectly with archivists and sub archivists in France, Spain and the Vatican. Mexico City's archives were completely "off limits", however, "arrangements" were made through a minister of the navy and I developed an outstanding "source". Beginning in 1978 "I began receiving notifications of "findings" from various archives. Not having seen the 'information" available, I would guess at a value and make an offer for copies.

In 1983 a letter arrived stating that 116 pages had been found relating to the King of Spain's rules and regulations on mining and exploration in the new world. Included were thirty-four pages of coded signs and symbols to be used in documents and on maps and their meanings. Also included were drawings of trail markers that Spain required to be constructed, "under pain of Spain", along all treasure/mine trails.

Toward the end of the 1500's, New Mexico was colonized by the Spanish. It was in Santa Fe that the palace of governors was completed in 1609. This palace was to govern Northern Mexico; Which Was A Considerable Portion Of United States Today.

Adjoining the Palace of Governors, the San Miguel Cathedral was constructed and in operation in 1636.

This was the central point for the church not only in seeking converts, but to help solve the major problems developing in the palace of governors. It seems that the Christianized miners rebelled if they did not have a fray/padre with them to hear their last confession or give them the last rites at the distant mining operation (and there were many deaths). So, it worked good for both Spain and the church.

The church was able to spread the "word" in new and distant areas of new mining and exploration being done by Spain, and the "religious" mans presence gave "calm and confidence" to the mining/exploration groups that had begun to rebel more frequently. In this manner of cooperation, the church and Spain worked hand in hand and assisted each other in their separate goals.

The Palace was the headquarters of Spain's enforcement of the Kings rules and regulations in today's Northern Mexico, California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Louisiana, Kentucky, etc. The major part of today's Mexico itself was governed out of Mexico City. Mining and exploration activities were the primary duties of the Palace: collecting from the haciendas, miners and religious the King's 15 to 20% and seeing to transport back to Spain, teaching each Hacienda the codes and symbols to use on treasure maps, the monuments and their meaning and how to construct to-and-from the mine or hidden treasure. They taught and furnished two walkers and compass / map makers to each mining hacienda. After mine establishment they would furnish a minimum of two monument maker supervisors to mark the trail. Thereafter, upon the Palace's receipt of the maps (both treasure and trail) it would send it's own group to follow the hacienda's maps to the mine site and report back to the Palace on the precision of trail monuments and the coded treasure map. Then, the Palace sent copies of the maps to the King of Spain, the Palace in Mexico City and retained one. The maps were to insure that if a disaster befell the miners or the hacienda, Spain could again find the mine and the King would not lose his percentage. Maps are full of coded religious signs, numbers and symbolism and for good reason. The only two things "going" in this new world was mining / exploration and "religion." Every Spaniard and Mexican in addition to the "religious", tried to convert souls and knew the Bible and church teaching very well. Therefore, as an example, the number "7" on a map or along the trail says: Here is a campsite, an overnight resting place, taken from the Bible "... and on the 7th day He rested". Also, the symbol for number 1 is a "dot" or solid (filled in) circle. This symbol for the number one (1) is also the symbol for water / springs, and again is derived from the Bible, "on the first day God created water".