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The Boot of Cortez
Mexico |
At 389.4 troy ounces, the "Boot of Cortez" is the largest surviving
natural gold nugget ever found in the Western Hemisphere.
The austere and forbidding Sonoran Desert of the United States and
Mexico regularly experiences some of the most extreme weather in the
Western Hemisphere. Daytime temperatures often exceed 125 degrees in the
shade even as blast-furnace winds swiftly strip life-sustaining water
from the few men and animals tough enough and wily enough to make a
living in this land of stark, unforgiving beauty. Yet life not only goes
on here; it sometimes succeeds in ways that cannot be foreseen even in
our wildest dreams. Myths and tales of lost treasure seem to spring into
being from out of nowhere. Virtually every remote village has its
legends of lost mines and treasure: the Oro de Moctezuma, Tayopa, El
Naranjal. Every story is different yet all are the same: A rich
deposit of gold or silver is found, and then lost through calamity,
treachery or political upheaval. The saga of the "Boot of Cortez"
is very much in keeping with all of these tales of discovery and loss -
with one exception: This tale is true. The proof is before you.
The story begins in 1989 in the area around Caborca, near the Gran
Desierto de Altar in the Mexican state of Sonora. The nearest
surface water is the Sea of Cortez; some 60 miles to the west. Arizona
is 70 miles to the north. Ranching is the chief occupation, but there
are a number of mines in the area along with placer gold deposits in
some of the canyons. It is within these dry canyons that a local Mexican
man began his quest to find hidden treasure in the form of placer
nuggets. Some finds of nuggets had been made in the past, and fired with
optimistic enthusiasm; our gold-seeker grew determined to find his
share.
At this point, our latter-day prospector did something very much at odds
with tradition: visiting a Radio Shack store - he purchased a metal
detector. Practicing on buried coins and other metal objects, he learned
how to operate it, and then he set out for an area that was reported to
have produced nuggets. Once there, he started to walk; slowly and
carefully across the desert, all the while following a grid pattern that
would ensure that no areas would be unchecked. Hundreds of boring hours
slowly ebbed away with an occasional 'beep' from his ear-phones to
signal a potential find. Most were due to scrap iron or old lead
bullets. Then one day; the 'beep' sounded a little different. Digging
down; he caught that first gleam from his own personal El Dorado. Hardly
believing his eyes he kept digging, the gleaming surface kept going -
and going. By the time he had completely uncovered this incredible
nugget, it was obvious that it was huge. Just hauling it back to his
home was a chore since it weighed over twelve kilograms. There; a gentle
washing removed the last traces of dust left on the surface from its
subterranean resting place. Now the enormity of his find engulfed him:
What to do with this massive nugget, shaped like the boot of a
conquistador of old? Who could help him with advice regarding the ways
of selling such a thing? Ah, but of course - the Patron. He would
know. And he did.
Since that fateful day in the Desierto, the "Boot of Cortez" has
passed through a number of hands and has been marveled at by hundreds of
thousands of museum-goers. It was one of the star exhibits at the Tucson
Gem & Mineral Show in 2004, the theme of which was simply: "Gold". Based
on its enthusiastic response by the public, the owner of the "Boot"
was solicited to place it on loan for the traveling "Gold" exhibition
assembled by the Houston Museum of Natural Science where it was
exhibited in 2005, along with other notable specimens from: the
Smithsonian, Harvard and other major collections. The exhibition then
moved to the American Museum of Natural History in 2006 where it opened
to rave reviews by collectors and casual visitors alike. After almost a
year in New York City, the exhibition recently closed in August 2007.
Its pristine condition and unique shape have earned it the sobriquet
"the most unusual and attractive large nugget in the World" and at 389.4
ounces Troy (32.4 Troy pounds) it is the largest surviving placer nugget
from the Western Hemisphere. The 2nd largest nugget is Alaskan and is
almost 100 ounces smaller. It has a bright, rich golden-yellow color
which indicates a high purity (approximately 94% + pure). There have
been larger masses of gold but these have consisted primarily of
intermixtures of gold and worthless rock. The "Boot of Cortez"
measures a stunning 10 3/4 inches in height and 7 1/4 inches in width.
There is literally 'no-thing' like it |
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