Montezuma’s treasure has been on people’s minds for centuries. The question is whether it really is? When Cortez arrived in Mesoamerica in the early 1500s, Montezuma thought he was the Great White God Quetzalcoatl, who promised to return one day. It did not take long for Montezuma to realize that he was mistaken. Cortez was a cruel man and began to treat the Aztecs badly. The king did not want to fight Cortez on his own terms, but the people had enough and decided to rebel.
After a great and terrible battle, the Spanish conquistadors were driven from Tenochtitlan, Mexico. During this rebellion, Montezuma was killed by the Spaniards or by his own people. No one knows for sure. While the Spanish were taking care of the wounded, the Aztecs quickly invaded their treasure and took it away. They had to protect it for their lives. And they kept the treasure for years in honor of their god when it was returned. It was a gift from Quetzalcoatl and was valued at around $100,000 in gold and gems.
Is this the story? A legend? Cortez also left evidence of Aztec gold. In 1519, Bernal Diaz recorded in his annals what he saw in the village: “All the riches of the world were in that place.” Diaz said he saw a golden wheel in the shape of the sun that was as big as a cart wheel with pictures engraved on it. There was one of silver, which was an imitation of the moon, and a golden statue in the form of a jagular. Cortez eventually won the battle and entered the room where the treasure was kept, but found nothing. Having searched the entire village, he found a few statues that had been thrown into the lake. The Aztecs tried to hide what they did not take with them. They didn’t think they were looking at the lake. Other archaeologists imagined that he had been transported to a distant land where Cortez would never find the treasure.
In many people search for Montezuma’s treasure. In 1914 an old prospector named Freddy Crystal had a newspaper clipping of Anasazi art. The petroglyph image was carved into the side of a cliff located in Johnson Canyon, not far from Kanab, Utah. The petroglyph was similar to the articulations on the gauze tablet he had found years before. After searching the canyon for two years, he left in 1920 and returned with another map he had obtained in Mexico. It was a four-hundred-year-old copy of the maguey tablet that he found in the consignment of a Mexican monastery.
Maguey is a fibrous plant that is cultivated in Mexico. Years ago they used it as paper and it lasted for centuries. Freddy said that he had met a descendant of Montezuma who gave his interpretation of the second table. He pointed out the narrows with seven mountains: four north, one from the east, one from the west, and one from the south . That described Kanab’s position to a tee. The petroglyphs matched the first map, but the topography matched the second map. The second one had more details. It shows the steps on the side of the mountain and the lower sea. The White Mountain just happened to have footprints carved into the sandstone over a hundred feet. The only exception was the swamp, which was not there. According to Freddy, don’t worry about the swamps drying up.
Freddy Crystal promised that he would share the treasure with all the townspeople in Kanab if they would dig and search for him. For the next two years, at the bottom of the White Mountain, a large tent city was erected and the townspeople went every day to help Freddy search for gold. All supplies and business included every day so they could dig. Each time is flattering.
The town of Kanab in the United States was different. They had elected an all-women mayor and citizen, which was unheard of in 1920. Women’s rights were not yet recognized in the East. This was the first bicameral government in history. The same good women’s secure company is opened and closed by prayer every time they meet. alas! You’ll be in control! How terrible!
When the townspeople agreed to help Freddy, the Kanab city council decided to have no public information about the store because they didn’t want to get the word out. If that happened, people from all over the world would invade the little town and no one wanted that. They remembered what happened California and the gold rush. Therefore, if anyone uttered the word “treasure,” they were fined.
They dug and dug until they found a cave with a series of rooms. They also found tunnels with traps, but no gold. The three rocks nearly killed Freddy as they fell to the ground. He claimed that he was from the Aztecs. When no gold was found, the Aztecs assumed that the treasure had moved to another location. After they all left, Freddy left…disappeared…never to appear again.
Every now and then someone will find a “Treasure Sign of the Aztecs” but no treasure. Many nations believe that the treasure is preserved. But from what is it defended? He told the legend that, after he had hidden everything from Cortez, he appointed some guards to guard the treasure of the tribe. If one gets too close, they will do everything in their power to protect themselves and quickly move to another location. Some believe that their spirits are guarding them to this day;
Where, then, is Montezuma’s treasure? Is it still there? Is it hidden among the mountains of Utah? It is still a mystery today. It was so intriguing to me that I sat down and started writing my new mystery/adventure novel: The Intrigue of Montezuma i>. This is a book about hidden objects, the search for Montezuma’s treasure, beautiful evil and family secrets. How important is it to learn about the past? When a parchment paperback of a Montezuma map is found in Evans’ old grandfather’s chest, April and the twins know this summer is going to be a memorable one.
Written by Linda Weaver Clarke, author of The Montezuma Intrigue: The Adventures of John and Julia Evans mystery series. To learn more, visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.
