The Tumbaga Saga: Treasure of the Conquistadors

Before there were coins in the New World, before there were Spanish Treasure Fleets, and even before there were any kind of European colonies in Mexico, the conquistador Hernan Cortes and his men, through the Tarascan Conquest by Cristobal de Olid in 1522, discovered a new precious-metal mix that led to an improvised manufacture of so-called tumbaga bars: a group of over 200 silver and gold ingots discovered in the remains of an unidentified ca.-1528 shipwreck off Grand Bahama Island in 1993. These rare silver tumbaga bars found in 1993 are now a step closer to full understanding. Through a study of contemporary accounts, archeological research and historical sources, it is theorized that these strange ingots were manufactured by the Spanish using a unique copper-silver alloy forged by the Tarascans in Mexico as a source for their ornaments and offerings, a particular type of metal the Spanish called; metal of Michoacan; seized by the conquistadors in a single episode within the vast story of the conquest of Mexico during the 1520s. This book is divided into three parts: The first part chronicles the earliest documents relating to the treasure accumulated by Hernan Cortes during his conquest of the Aztec empire. The second part concerns the later phase of conquest, specifically Captain Cristobal de Olid s campaign in the region of the Tarascan kingdom in western Mexico. The third and final part discusses technical aspects of these bars based on an interpretation of their markings and manufacture. The specimens studied in this book are the only ones known to exist all of them from the same wreck and therefore they will always be of the utmost rarity and historical importance. The book contains a data matrix for all 194 bars, including their weights, measurements, markings and descriptions. Also featured are plates of 60 selected bars, maps, native drawings and charts. Additionally there is a list of the names and roles of over 100 people from the tumbaga period, and an appendix with new translations from Seven decrees of Charles V pertaining to the circulation of gold and silver in the Americas and key chapters of Bernal Diaz del Castillo's Historia Verdadera De La Conquista De La Nueva Espana.