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Touring Mexico for MineralsBy MARY S. SHAUBMap by Norton Alien

Y HUSBAND is a retired pro-fessor of mineralogy fromSmith College and I am a

graduate in geology from Smith—sonaturally, our recent trip into OldMexico turned into a rockhounds'holiday. The great nation south of theRio Grande has many highly mineral-ized areas, and it is possible for thetourist to visit countless mines, quar-ries and outcrops where good mineralspecimens can be obtained.

Crossing the border at El Paso, wefound Mexico Route 45 leading souththrough the State of Chihuahua excel-lent, and the structures evident in themountains rising from the desert wereof great interest. After passing throughthe dunes south of Samalayuca wecame to the little town of Villa Ahu-mada, 85 miles below El Paso. Un-fortunately, we started our trip in thebeginning of the rainy season in mid-July when travel by ordinary car onthe dirt road east to the famous LosLamentos wulfenite locality is highlyinadvisable. However, it was possibleto purchase a few specimens from amineral collector at the local fruiteria.

The capital city of Chihuahua con-tains superb Spanish colonial archi-tecture and an excellent mineral mu-seum. About 10 miles south of thecity, at Avalos, the great smelter ofthe American Smelting and RefiningCompany is located. Here we calledon Arthur Collins, the manager. Heassigned an English-speaking officialto escort us through this great estab-lishment. We also visited the companymine at Santo Domingo in the SantaEulalia District. The company geolo-gist drove us up to the old canyonwhere gold was first discovered in thisregion, and we were given samples ofore from the active shafts. The prizespecimen here is the beautiful "blackcalcite," actually scalenohedrons ofcalcite covered with hematite which inturn is partly covered by another layerof calcite deposited in rhombohedrons.

In the mountains west of the capitalcity at Creel are found the milky but-

Workmen hand-drilling rock atthe Santa Maria Iris Opal Mine.

A P R I L , 1 9 5 9

terfly twinned calcites, but here againthe time of year was a deterrent tomaking a visit to this locality, and wehad to be satisfied with purchases fromAlberto G. Chavez who maintains astore across the street from the mineralmuseum.

The great caves at Naica are thenext point of mineralogical interest asone travels south in the State of Chi-huahua. At Concho we took a goodgravel road to the right which led tothe mine owned and operated by theFresnillo Company. In the old days,

collectors climbed 400 feet down pre-carious ladders into the unbearablyhot mine which contains great cavesof selenite crystals. Today, one mustbe accompanied by a mine official. Wewalked about 300 feet into an adit,descended in a cage to the third level,then walked about 500 feet along adrift. Steel doors protect two of thefamous selenite deposits, one knownas the "Cave of Swords," the other acrystal-lined fissure vein. We visitedthis amazing vein where great crystalsof translucent selenite, some up to fourfeet in length, project from the walls.The cave floor is littered with brokencrystals, some curved, some containingbubbles, some in attractive groups—

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the discarded material from bygonedays when collectors entered the vari-ous caves and cavities in the mine.Collecting the attached minerals is pro-hibited, but we were allowed to pickup a few specimens from the floor.

Our next stop, 114 miles south ofConcho, was the historic mining townof Parral where the great La PrietaMine, operated by the American Smelt-ing and Refining Company, conspicu-ously stands on a hill in the center ofthe city. Twelve miles east of Parralat Talamantes, is a manganese minewhere it is permissible to search thedumps for psilomelane. Five milessouth of Parral on Route 45, wesearched the outcrops and hills on theleft side of the highway. We wererewarded with chalcedony roses whichare abundant in the weathered rhyolite.The road cuts in this area are interest-ing, for they clearly reveal the mannerin which the roses occur under thesurface.

From La Zarca, 107 miles south ofParral, we drove 58 miles east toMapimi. Although this dirt road isrough, the magnificent mountain scen-ery and varied desert flora make thistrip well worth-while. In the mainplaza of Mapimi we obtained thenames of miners with minerals forsale. A great deal of material wasavailable for purchase: wulfenite, flu-orescent adamite, hemimorphite, mala-chite, calcite, rosasite and smithsonite.The miners were exceedingly politeand willing, like most Mexicans, toenter into friendly bargaining for thesale of their minerals. It is possibleto visit the dumps of the mines highon the mountain slope, but the minersare keen mineral collectors and onedoes better to purchase mineral speci-mens from them. These are sold at areasonable price. Close by is the mod-ern city of Torreon with its palm-linedstreets and first class hotels and restaur-ants. From Torreon we followedRoute 31; to Velardena. This is an old

mining town between the San Lor-enzo and Santa Maria ranges 2.4 milesoff the main road. A number of activebase-metal mines are worked here. Theore is brought by donkey to the scalesin the main plaza where groups of theseanimals are weighed with their loadsof ore, and again after unloading theirburdens in the patio. These animals,with their leather-aproned drivers, arepicturesque reminders of the methodof transporting materials inauguratedin Mexico three centuries ago. Withpermission from the Asarco office nearthe plaza we obtained ore samples andcolorful specimens of green oxidizedmaterial.

Continuing on Route 31 we reachedthe northern outskirts of Durango

Mexico offers a rare combinationof enticements for the mineralogist,amateur or professional: some ofthe world's most highly mineral-ized areas, most beautiful sceneryand most friendly people. A fieldtrip south of the border can bea once - in - a - lifetime adventure.

where the great Cerro del Mercado("Hill of Iron") stands. This hugehematite deposit rises several hundredfeet above the surrounding plain. Per-mission may be secured at the mineoffice to walk up to the open pit work-ings where the miners will indicatelikely places to search for the fineyellow apatite crystals. Power shovelshave replaced the wheelbarrow bri-gades at this mine, largely eliminatingthe collecting of large numbers of finecrystals which occur in the cavities.However, the miners still gather a fewcrystals, and it is possible to purchaseboth matrix specimens and individualcrystals from them. Here also wefound specimens of martite in octa-hedrons and as spinel twins, a veryrare occurrence for this mineral.

We made temporary headquartersat Zacatecas, a superb old colonialmining town with a beautifully restoredaqueduct, and many fine churches. Oldmine workings dot the hillsides, andwe went underground at La CanteraMine, four miles south of the city, tosee the ore occurrence as well as theold Spanish workings. Amethyst, ga-lena and sphalerite were collected onthe dumps at the El Bote Mine, sixmiles north of the city. A number ofother mines are located near this his-toric old town.

Leaving Zacatecas we drove south80 miles to Aguascalientes where weturned east on Route 50 for San LuisPotosi. This great city, capital of thestate of the same name, dates from the

36 DESERT MAGAZINE

The author on lava flow depos-ited in 1873 by Ceboruco Volcano.

1500s, and is one of the great miningcenters of the Americas. Wealth fromthe mines contributed to the construc-tion of many fine homes and superbSpanish-colonial churches with richlycarved exteriors and lavish interiors.Thirteen miles from the city is the oldmining town of San Pedro, and a visithere is an interesting experience. TheAsarco Company once operated themines, but when they became unprofit-able the company removed all equip-ment and turned the property over toa cooperative run by 200 miners.These men work under the most haz-ardous conditions, climbing 800 feetdown ladders, and bringing up ore ontheir backs. This ore is transferred toburros and then to trucks for shipmentto the Asarco smelter in San Luis Po-tosi. When we arrived in ramshackledSan Pedro, many of whose buildingsare in ruins, the whole town turnedout to greet us. After inquiries in ourbest Spanish, the miners offered speci-mens of ore containing copper, lead,zinc, gold and silver for sale.

Leaving San Luis Potosi, we fol-lowed Route 80 to Guadalajara, thesecond largest city in Mexico. From

here Route 15 took us northwest ona short side trip into the Sierra MadreOccidental. The road passes close toa number of extinct volcanoes. Thirty-nine miles from Guadalajara we beganto see obsidian outcrops along the roadcuts. Continuing 5 miles farther, wenoted chunks of black obsidian in thefields along the road near a powerline. Many of these rocks containedholes from which other minerals hadweathered. We obtained excellent spec-imens of obsidian containing cavitiesfilled with gray christobalite.

The main road crosses the greatCeboruco Volcano lava flow of 1873at a point about 100 miles from Guad-alajara. Despite the fact that this flowoccurred nearly a hundred years ago,there is surprisingly little vegetation onit today, and the contortions andstructure of the lava produced duringthe period of eruption are evidenteverywhere.

Returning to Guadalajara, we spenta day in the city visiting the greatmarket of San Juan de Dios whichabounds in luscious fruits. We alsowent to the famous glass factory, Fab-rica de Vidrio Avalos, where we wereable to watch the various glass-makingoperations.

From Guadalajara we drove southon Route 15 which skirts beautifulLake Chapala, the largest lake in Mex-ico—53 miles long and 17 miles wide.An overnight stop was made at pic-turesque Patzcuaro. This town andlake of the same name represent a bitof unspoiled Old Mexico where onecan profitably use many rolls of filmon the fascinating Tarascan Indians intheir daily pursuits around and on thelake.

Continuing to Morelia we drovenorth on Michoacan Route 45 andGuanajuato Route 25 to Guanajuato,

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an old and beautiful town with miningactivity still going on in the surround-ing hills. Small boys offered to guideus to the points of interest.

One of the most picturesque spotshere is the old Valenciana Mine. Thehuge shaft and mine workings wereprotected from bandits by a formid-able wall braced by magnificent flyingbuttresses. The mine proved so richthat the owner built a superb churchclose by, one of the most ornate inMexico. Near the church is a smallmineral shop where we purchasedamethyst and calcite crystals. Theseminerals and others can be obtainedat a small store at 40 Alfonso Streetin the city.

Outside of town there are numerousactive small mines which are open tovisitors. One should not leave thispicturesque old city with its iron bal-conies, narrow streets and unique foun-tains, without visiting the fine mineralmuseum in the University building.Here Sr. Eduardo Villasenor Sohle,professor of mineralogy, showed usthe minerals and explained their occur-rences. Excellent specimens of guana-juatite and aguilarite are displayed inthe museum.

OpalThe great opal center of Queretaro

is best reached by retracing your stepssouth to Salamanca, and then drivingeast on Mexico Route 45. Immedi-ately upon reaching Queretaro, wenoticed several opal shops around themain plaza. One of the best places tobuy specimens is the Ontiveros OpalShop on the 15th de Mayo Street.Here you can purchase opal-in-mat-rix or cut opal, and Sr. Ontiveros willarrange for you to visit the Santa MariaIris Opal Mine owned and operatedby his father, Joaquin Ontiveros.

Six miners working in pairs werehand-drilling the opal-bearing rhyoliteat the mine. The dumps are extensive,and we found matrix specimens of red-dish-brown fire opal (uniformly col-ored material that does not have a playof colors). Under a prickly pear cac-tus there was quite a pile of this ma-

The Oaxaca-Natividad bus.

terial, some pieces showing small flecksof precious opal. Large pieces of goodmaterial are rare, and so the Onti-veros family cuts cabochons of matrixmaterial. Some dealers make mosaicsof the very small pieces of preciousopal.

East of Queretaro and north ofMexico City is a famous mining town,Pachuca, reached via Mexico Routes45 and 85. From Pachuca we tookMexico Route 130 to Colonia whichis on Mexico 85 (the Pan-AmericanHighway) leading directly to MexicoCity.

Not True OnyxThe drive south to Oaxaca is a re-

warding one. Although the distancefrom Mexico City is 340 miles, it is nottoo strenuous for the highway is verygood. We made a stopover at Pueblato visit the onyx shops and see theworkers shaping various objects. Thismaterial is not true onyx; it is traver-tine, a banded calcite. In these shopsare many fine art objects which canbe purchased at very reasonable prices.At Atlixco near Puebla, there are ex-cellent views of Popocatepetl, but thebest photographs of the volcano areobtained at San Martin, west of Puebla.

North of Oaxaca we visited a feld-spar mine where fine specimens of theusual pegmatite minerals were ob-tained. Near the village of Magdalenathere is a large onyx quarry exhibitinginteresting structures in the walls. Thedumps are extensive. Another onyxquarry is located 122 miles south ofOaxaca or 34 miles north of Tehu-antepec. Of course Oaxaca is wortha visit if only to see the great Indianruins of Mitla and Monte Alban, orto spend half a day in the picturesquemarket.

Taxco is one of the most famoustourist towns in Mexico, yet it owes itslasting fame and beauty to its mines.This town probably is the oldest inNorth America. It was an Indian vil-

38 DESERT MAGAZINE

lage called Tlachco when rich silverdeposits were discovered here by Cor-tez. The town was not developed until1716 after the French miner, Jose dela Borda, opened up several workings,some of which still are producing to-day. In the market, the Plazuela deBernal and at Hernandez' shop at No.13, Plazuela San Juan, it is possibleto purchase fine calcite specimens andother minerals at reasonable prices.Several jewelry shops have mineralspecimens for sale, but the prices arehigher in these establishments.

The wealth from the mines was re-sponsible for the construction of a finechurch, Santa Prisca, built by de laBorda in gratitude for his good fortune.Completed in 1758, this building hastwo beautifully decorated towers, aprofusely carved facade and a well-preserved tiled dome. Because of theunique character of Taxco, the Mexi-can government has made it a nationalmonument to assure preservation of itspresent picturesque state. This won-derful little town, with its cobblestonestreets, tiled roofs, balconies, foun-tains and flowers in profusion, is wellworth an extended visit by those inter-ested in photography or the variousnative arts and crafts.

We returned to the United Stateson the Pan-American Highway throughthe beautiful Sierras with their ruggedscenery. With the aid of the AAA book,Mexico by Motor, we found excellentaccommodations every night of ourstay in Mexico, as well as accurate in-formation regarding roads and pointsof interest. Gasoline was plentiful andcar repairs made without difficulty.Everywhere we went, we found theMexicans to be most engaging people—friendly, courteous, helpful and do-ing their best to give the Americantraveler a superb vacation at a veryreasonable cost.—END

April Shows

Sphene Discovered . . .Tijuana, Baja Calif.—Rare and valuable

gem sphene reportedly was discovered ona ranch "somewhere south of Tijuana" byFred Harvey, a 74-year-old Leucadia, Cali-fornia, rockhound. The greenish ambergem is a crystallized titanium dioxide.

April 4-5—Escondido, Calif. Palomar Club,Central School Auditorium.

April 4-5—Colton, Calif. Slover Society,Municipal park.

April 10-19—Los Angeles. Hobby Show,Shrine Exposition Hall.

April 11-12—Santa Monica, Calif. Gemo-logical Society, Joslyn Hall, Wilshire andLincoln blvds.

April 11-12—Salinas, Calif. Monterey BaySociety, A.F.D.E.S. Hall.

April 11-12 — Eugene, Oregon. MineralClub, Lane County Fairgrounds.

April 18-19—Costa Mesa, Calif. OrangeCoast Society, Orange County Fair-grounds.

April 18-19 — San Jose, Calif. LapidarySociety, San Jose State College.

April 18-19 — Vantage, Washington. AllRockhound Pow-Wow, Brown Ranch.

April 24-26—Wichita, Kansas. Rocky Moun-tain Federation Convention-Show, SouthArmory.

April 25-26—Tacoma, Washington. AgateClub.

April 25-26—Nampa, Idaho. Owyhee So-ciety.

April 25-26—Azusa, Calif. Canyon CitySociety, Armory Building.

SANTA CLARA HOBBYISTSWIN SEMINAR HONORS

Obie and Barbara Goss of Sunnyvale,Calif., were named editors of the year atthe recent Desert Magazine gem and min-eral bulletin editors' seminar. The affairwas attended by 115 persons representing33 clubs.

The Gosses edit the Santa Clara ValleyGem and Mineral Society's Breccia. Theaward to them was made jointly by Desertand the National Bulletin Editors' Associa-tion.

MOST UNCOMMON GARNETSARE ANDRADITE SPECIES

Andradite is in all probability the rarestof all garnets. Color ranges from pale tintsto black, but not reds. Its specific gravityis 3.8, hardness 6Vi.

The better known andradite varieties are:Collophonite, brownish yellow to dark red-dish brown; Topazolite, topaz yellow togreen; Melanite, black crystals, found inSan Benito County, California; Demantoid(diamond-like), beautiful emerald greenwith a high light dispersion (.057-—diamondhas a. dispersion of .044).

Andradite commonly coats seams andforms small lustrous crystals—except thedemantoid variety which is found embeddedin asbestos, and is rounded.

Andradite is one of three species of thecalcium garnet types. The others are Uvar-ovite (calcium chromium silicate of deepemerald green color); and Grossularite(calcium aluminum silicate of pale tints).

The garnet series mix with each other tosome extent, and within each species thevarieties grade into each other without: sharplines of demarcation so that the amateurcollector can only approximately identifythe variety by considering color, specificgravity and association in which found.Garnet is one of the most common ofminerals.—Oregon Rockhound

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Agate Field Closed . . .Palo Verde, Calif.—A Desert Magazine

reader reports that most of the gem area ofthe Palo Verde Mountain Pass is closed tocollecting by virtue of mining activity there.The collecting area was featured in the No-vember '56 Desert. "Do Not Enter, Dyna-miting" signs are posted at the gem fieldentrance road.

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