GOLD SILVER COPPER IRON GYPSUM SALT. 357 



large extent in all the mountains near Santa Fe ; south of it, at a 

 distance of about one hundred miles as far as £c Gran Quivara," and 

 north for about one hundred and twenty miles up to the river Sangre 

 de Christo. Throughout the whole of this region gold dust has been 

 abundantly found by the poorer classes of Mexicans, who occupy 

 themselves with washing it from the mountain streams. At present 

 the Old and New Placeres, or places where gold is obtained near 

 Santa Fe, have attracted most attention, and not only gold washes 

 but gold mines, also, are worked there. Yet they are probably the 

 only gold mines at present wrought in the territory. The wash gold 

 when examined was found to contain: 



Native Gold, 92.5 



Silver, 3.5 



Iron and Silex, ..... 4.0 



100.0; — 



while the total annual production of both placeres seems to have 

 varied considerably; — in some years it was estimated at from thirty 

 to forty thousand dollars, in others from sixty to eighty thousand, 

 and in latter years, it is reputed to have ascended to even two hun- 

 dred and fifty thousand. 



Several rich silver mines were, in Spanish times, worked at Avo, 

 at Cerillos, and in the Nambe mountains, but none are in operation 

 at present. Copper is found in abundance throughout the country, 

 but principally at Las Tijeras, Jemas, Abiquia, and Gudalupita de 

 Mora, but until a recent period only one copper mine was wrought 

 south of the placeres. Iron, though also existing in very large quan- 

 tities, has been entirely overlooked. Coal is found in different lo- 

 calities — as in the Raton mountains ; in the vicinity of the village 

 of Jimez, south-west of Santa Fe; and in spots south of the placeres. 

 Gypsum, common and selenite, are discovered abundantly, and it is 

 said that most extensive layers exist in the mountains near AJgodon, 

 on the Rio Grande, and in the neighborhood of the celebrated Salinas. 

 It is used as common lime for white- washing, while the crystalline or 

 selenite is employed instead of window glass. About one hundred 

 miles, south south-east of Santa Fe, on the high table land between 

 the Rio Grande and Pecos, are some extensive salinas or salt lakes, 

 from which all the salt used in New Mexico is procured. Large 

 caravans from Santa Fe visit this place every year during the dry 

 season, and return heavily laden with the precious deposits. They 

 either sell it for one and sometimes two dollars per bushel, or ex- 

 change a bushel of salt for a bushel of Indian corn. 



