somehiker,
I hope that you don't mind me questioning your belief about the stones. So, from what I understand, the Horse Stone is a map that tells the locations of its own (and the other stones) burial? That just seems illogical. Burying your own locator map with the things to be located. But, if it were intentionally buried as a locator map and was accedentially "dug up" by power shovel, that means that its original position was disturbed, making the horse stone impossible to use as point of reference. How would anyone know where to measure from? What we now know is that the new bridge was most likely completed when Tumlinson arrived in 1948 or 1949. There was much activity at that site and still no one noticed the protruding stone but Tumlinson? It just seems to be problematic.
Could you tell me just how old you think the stones might be? I am assuming "confiscated" means taken away by Americans with the loss of the territory?
I have heard of a clue that has something to do with the Horses right ear, but I do not remember where that clue came from. If anyone remembers, please post it. I will tell you that the Horses right ear is the key to placing the Horse Stone and once placed, the location of the number 5, surrounded by five dots, becomes clear. Five represents silver as a treasure symbol.
OK, thank you for taking the time to respond.
Don't mind at all, Hal.
Based on my first visit to the discovery site, I did consider the five dots and the word "RIO" as a possible depiction of the area where the Tumlinson's (Travis and Uncle Robert) claimed to have found the stones.
At that time I suspected that the two "circle-dot's" were the locations where the stones were buried. The presence of the five additional pits, where someone had so obviously put a lot of effort into digging for something they thought was there, suggested to me that the five dots may have represented five caches where other objests were also once buried. Also that the possibility other caches in the area would have become apparent to anyone who retrieved the H/P Stone from the location shown by the lower "circle dot" and indicated as buried by the "omega like" marking above the two "circle dots". The other "circle dot" being the place where the Map Stones were found.
We do know, from Travis' recollection of events, that he wasn't able to find the Map Stones until the following year. That the site had been disturbed by prior or even ongoing construction activity may have been the reason for his failure to find all of the stones in 1948, IMO. If he had, as I believe, been using a document or chart obtained from his grandfather, any disturbance would have made his search more difficult.
I believe the original stones to be at least 166 yr's old, based on a scenario where they may have been created by one or two of the members of the Mexican group which fled Santa Fe ahead of the American invasion of 1846.This of course, would lend meaning to the "1847" carved on the stones, and raise the possibility that this group (or at least part of the group) were present in the Sups until the following year.
Documentary:
Santa Fe at 30:45.
The shape of the horse's right ear is duplicated by that of the extended thumb of the priest's right hand. Since the extended thumb seems an unnecessary extra to the image of the priest, it may very well be a clue of some kind.I have three very interesting photos taken from the tip of that ear, two which require a closer look-see.
Another possible clue in the five dots and the way they are arranged may be found in the accounts of a cave of gold bars, and the description of those ingots....
Lost Dutchman Gold Mine - Arizona Superstition Mountain Wilderness - Gold Mining ? View topic - Cave With Gold Bars
Ernie Provence (or Tracy Hawkins ?) had posted a drawing of one of those bars similar to this...
View attachment brady lafrance.bmp
As to the number "5" , the answer may lie in biblical numerology:
http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/qt/Bible-Numerology.htm
Five - A number associated with grace.
Five Levitical offerings (Leviticus 1-5).
Jesus multiplied five loaves of barely to feed 5,000 (Matthew 14:17).
Regards:SH.
