Greetings friends,
This is a very long reply, so I must beg your indulgence <again>- thank you.
Don Jose de la Mancha wrote
Good morning Mr sheep herder, archaeologist, lost mine hunter, miner, & author: You posted -->
Having a skeptic in our group is a good thing, it keeps us honest!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Only IF the sceptic will accept counter data !! Just requiring proof of proof, of proof, etc, while contributing nothing constructive in them selves, doesn't actually accomplish anything, or indicate intelligence, anymore than a child that keeps asking "why? but doesn't actually listen. Especially when dealing in basically intangibles, such as lost mines or treasures.
In themselves, they are nebulous factors based upon legends or stories which cannot be verified, or they would no longer be lost. El Naranjal for example.
However, we HAVE found Atlantis / Azatlan which may have been the ultimate present intangibles.
As for the Peralta stones and the witch, I believe that that type of characterization of a witch is a recent factor, so it must be representative of the Priests (?) of that time. REAVIS REAVIS
Soo you like to look for lost mines ad treasures eh? Odd?
Wow amigo plenty of "hats" in your address to me, not sure I if have earned most of them. Thank you though, I do
aspire to fill those titles.
To address your points - I think it is wise for a treasure hunter to try to keep a balance of optimism tempered with healthy skepticism. I don't mind exploring the wildest theories, pure speculation etc but try to keep one foot on solid ground and realize where fact and theory are separated. Some of our friends here seem to be rather out in the outer edges of this balance, being either very skeptical or very much into theoretical possibilities. This is my opinion only, I am sure that each of us has their own standards as to what is being overly skeptical and what is being overly naive.
El Naranjal, boy Don Jose, you really know what gets me! From what I have, I could not build a solid case to prove that it ever existed. There are no specimens of ore (that I know of) which could be compared with anything found, and were we to debate it with a skeptic,
I would concede at once that I can NOT prove it exists. As related to our Peralta Stones, the stones at least can be held in hand and examined.
As for the "witch" representing a priest, many are convinced this is the case. However is it a fair representation of priests, as they dressed in the 1880's? Or the 1840's, as the 'date' implies? As far as I can tell, it is not a good representation for either period. I am certainly no expert on the Peralta Stones however, so my opinion doesn't matter on them.
Hunting lost mines and treasures - well
it is one of those thankless jobs, but someone has to do it! 
(heh heh)
Springfield wrote
'Treasure hunters' are a bit more than optimists Oro. The more time and energy invested in one's 'working model' of his belief system, the more jealously he clings to those beliefs and the less willing he is to admit that he might be on the wrong track.
I have to agree, a few treasure hunters are almost rabidly over-optimistic to the point of fanatical belief. It
can become such an obsession as to destroy a person's life. However as with any thing in life, whether talking about treasure hunting, religion, politics, drinking, smoking, gambling,
almost anything can be carried to the point of being harmful to mental and even physical health. At the other end of the spectrum are the "
sour grapes" pessimistic skeptics, who see no possible chance of anything good, becoming bitter and negative to the point of affecting lifestyle and life. Fortunately I don't think most of us here fall into either extreme, though some few are perhaps drifting in that direction. (Like ME for instance, but there is no hope in my case!
)
Cactusjumper wrote
if someone tells me that Jacob Waltz was actually
Scrooge McDuck, a healthy dose of skepticism is not necessarily a bad thing
Mr McDuck was his nephew, which explains his great wealth.
Cactusjumper also wrote
Reality changes with the turn of a spade but more often than not, it remains the same.
This is true, unfortunately some of us too-easily forget that in treasure hunting,<and in simple prospecting>
finding NOTHING is also making progress, if only in learning where "
it" is NOT. A systematic, deliberate and persistent approach wins in treasure hunting, though pure luck beats all.
Oroblanco, the hopelessly-infected gold fever "victim"
![:-\](https://www.treasurenet.com/smilies/undecided.gif "Undecided :-\")
