CPTBIL, Not trying to pry anything out of you, but your mention of Aztec pictographs near the AZ/NM/Mex border caught my eye. My family is from that very area and have owned/operated several cattle ranches down there. My grandfather and great uncle found, at different times, a Spanish sword (apparently laid in the crook of a tree, which subsequently grew AROUND the blade!) and a conquistador-type helmet. Both were given to the Univ. of Ariz. in Tucson. My grandfather personally told me about this and I doubt he ever lied a day in his life. My grandmother also showed me a newspaper clipping from the Arizona Citizen. Their discovery would have been somewhere in the late 50's to early 60's, I think. Anyway, I know the general area where they were found, and there's another anomoly that's there, but I haven't personally seen it yet. My grandfather told of a natural, vertical shaft going down into the ground. He said there was ALWAYS so much cold wind blowing up through it that he and other cowboys would throw their hats over the hole and they wouldn't fall down. They'd be blown up and out. Several years ago, I spoke to an old lady whose family still ranches down there. She confirmed this story about the hole, and put me in touch with her son-in-law, who is a world-class rock climber. I spoke to him on the telephone, and he too had been to the hole. In fact, he had rappelled down into it! The longest rope he had was 300', and he got to the end of this without hitting bottom or being able to see the bottom with his headlamp! I don't know how to get a hold of him anymore, but just by coincidence, my dad mentioned running into a guy who lives in Tucson. That guy's mother-in-law used to live on a ranch in the same area. My dad and I are going to go talk to her and see if she can direct us to the shaft. I should also point out that in the early 90's, my family got some mining claims in the same area. Assay results showed high concentrations of gold, but the type of thing that'd have to be smelted, not placer gold. We never really did anything with it because the claims were on BLM land and we figured the gov't would take whatever we found anyway. On the Aztec angle, I should also point out that many of the prehistoric Indian sites in So. Arizona, although they've been labeled Anasazi or Hohokam, have distinct ball courts, and parrot feathers have been excavated. It's not a popular theory in mainstream archaeology ("Baring Strait and south, by God!"), but it seems to indicate to me that Aztecan and/or Mayan connections are there. So, in short, I'd like to see if you and I are in the same area. I don't exactly know how to go about it, 'cause neither of us likely wants to tip our hand. What do you think?
interesting, you would think their would be more.
