Treasure of the Sangre de Cristos: Tales and Traditions of the Spanish Southwest

This collection of tales and traditions from the Southwest includes stories of lost mines stacked with bars of gold, mule loads of silver cached away in outlaw hoards, and fabulous Jesuit treasures buried when that order was expelled from New Spain. Some treasure locations would be rediscovered by chance or by an old map-and somehow always lost again. But not all these folk teasures are of material wealth. There is the story of a nun who loved a soldier and repented, and whose kneeling figure may still be seen as a mountain rock formation. There is the Hermit of Las Vegas, an actual person who, after traveling between Argentina and Quebec, settled in New Mexico, where he became the subject of affectionate legends. "This charming collection of treasure tales and legends should appeal to all types of readers....The book is not merely of popular appeal, however. It is a serious piece of scholarship backed up by painstaking research....These legends will make any reader want to try his luck at treasure hunting." Journal of the West. "A pleasing addition to the records of southwestern treasure lore. The stories are told charmingly and with understanding of the culture from which they sprang." Southwest Review. "[Campa] writes in very much the same style as the late J. Frank Dobie, and whether you are searching for lost treasures, or collecting southwestern folklore, this book is a must for your library." The Treasure Hunter.