"The night of sorrows" - that's how Cortez described the defeat of the Spanish army at the hand of Aztec Indians. Cortez and his men were trapped in Tenochtitlan, the fabled city of gold in what is today modern Mexico. They were holding the Aztec ruler, Moctezuma, hostage. When Moctezuma died, the Aztecs grew violent and stormed the city.
Cortez planned an escape by night and instructed his men to take as much treasure as they could carry. They were hoping to slither by the Aztecs but were apprehended and a bloody battle ensued in which no individual escaped uninjured. A lot of Spanish infantrymen were fatally injured, unable to take flight because they were so bogged down with booty. They were killed by spears or drowned in the lake that the city of Tenochtitlan was built on. Many more soldiers would have died except the Aztecs stopped to retrieve their silver and gold. The date was 1520.
Though Cortez escaped with his life and later returned with great force to take down the Aztec Empire, one query remains to this day: What has happened to the treasure of gold and silver that the Spanish squads tried to cart off?
It is a historic fact the treasure is real. Its value has been estimated to be worth close to 1/2 of all the wealth ever found in Spanish South America. Some of the things that disappeared included solid bands of gold and silver, semi-precious jewels, a solid gold life-size alligator head and many collars made of gold. To this date, that treasure has never been found.
There are countless speculations about what's happened to the treasure. One theory is that a significant part of it sank into the lake and was covered by rubble when Cortez returned to raze the city to the ground. Treasure hunting has continued in the area to this day. The lake bed was even drained and dragged in attempts to find it.
Other ideas indicate the Aztecs hid the silver and gold in the close by hills or even in another field some distance away. This is plausible; particularly when you remember that the Spanish conquerors brought diseases like smallpox with them in that the Indians were defenseless. A grim pandemic soon destroyed the local population in that area. So perhaps the knowledge on where the treasure was hidden passed on with them.
Some may wonder whether treasure hunting can make money . There are sufficient success stories to prove it can be. In 1998, Mel Fisher found the wreck of a Spanish treasure ship in the Caribbean that was loaded down with 100,000 gold coins. He quickly turned into a multi-millionaire as a result. In 2005, $10 billion worth of treasure-in the form of 600 barrels of gold coins-was found at "Crusoe" Island near the coast of Chile.
There's more sophisticated gear for treasure hunting being developed all of the time. A mini robot that has the ability scan 50 meters below the earth was utilized to find the gold coins on Crusoe Island. With new hardware such as this, it's worth having a second look at the story of La Noche Triste and see whether the legendary lost treasure can be discovered.
Cortez planned an escape by night and instructed his men to take as much treasure as they could carry. They were hoping to slither by the Aztecs but were apprehended and a bloody battle ensued in which no individual escaped uninjured. A lot of Spanish infantrymen were fatally injured, unable to take flight because they were so bogged down with booty. They were killed by spears or drowned in the lake that the city of Tenochtitlan was built on. Many more soldiers would have died except the Aztecs stopped to retrieve their silver and gold. The date was 1520.
Though Cortez escaped with his life and later returned with great force to take down the Aztec Empire, one query remains to this day: What has happened to the treasure of gold and silver that the Spanish squads tried to cart off?
It is a historic fact the treasure is real. Its value has been estimated to be worth close to 1/2 of all the wealth ever found in Spanish South America. Some of the things that disappeared included solid bands of gold and silver, semi-precious jewels, a solid gold life-size alligator head and many collars made of gold. To this date, that treasure has never been found.
There are countless speculations about what's happened to the treasure. One theory is that a significant part of it sank into the lake and was covered by rubble when Cortez returned to raze the city to the ground. Treasure hunting has continued in the area to this day. The lake bed was even drained and dragged in attempts to find it.
Other ideas indicate the Aztecs hid the silver and gold in the close by hills or even in another field some distance away. This is plausible; particularly when you remember that the Spanish conquerors brought diseases like smallpox with them in that the Indians were defenseless. A grim pandemic soon destroyed the local population in that area. So perhaps the knowledge on where the treasure was hidden passed on with them.
Some may wonder whether treasure hunting can make money . There are sufficient success stories to prove it can be. In 1998, Mel Fisher found the wreck of a Spanish treasure ship in the Caribbean that was loaded down with 100,000 gold coins. He quickly turned into a multi-millionaire as a result. In 2005, $10 billion worth of treasure-in the form of 600 barrels of gold coins-was found at "Crusoe" Island near the coast of Chile.
There's more sophisticated gear for treasure hunting being developed all of the time. A mini robot that has the ability scan 50 meters below the earth was utilized to find the gold coins on Crusoe Island. With new hardware such as this, it's worth having a second look at the story of La Noche Triste and see whether the legendary lost treasure can be discovered.
About the Author:
Tom is a key contributor to the base info, as well as, to the growth and expansion of Satellite Treasure Map Information overlaid on Google Maps. Tom has amassed this information thru many years of looking for hidden truths through many assorted resources.
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