THE "TUMBAGA" SAGA: TREASURE OF THE CONQUISTADORS
Second Edition, 2018 (Special 2021 Author's reprint)
by Agustín ("Augi") García-Barneche
Soft cover, 150 pages, larger format (7" x 10") with special paper (double thickness - 0.8 lbs).
Edited by Daniel Sedwick and Cori Sedwick Downing.
Signed by the author ISBN:9780982081860. Library of Congress Control Number:2019907401 - Special 2021 Author's reprint (limited format 35 copies total) (double thickness). In the summer of 1992, while searching for treasure on the Banks of the Bahamas, Marex Corporation discovered over two hundred bars of gold and silver, unlike those found in other shipwrecks. After analysis, it became evident that these bars were older and had a different metal composition than those recovered from other wreck sites. In reality, they are connected to the early days of the Spanish conquest of the New World. García begins his book with a thorough review of Cortés' conquests in Mexico, using many contemporary Spanish historical sources. He then moves on to unanswered questions regarding the metal composition of the mysterious bars and where this metal originated. His research in letters and contemporary records led him to the Tarascan region, the current state of Michoacán in Mexico, which was conquered by Cortés' lieutenant, Cristóbal de Olid, in 1522. His research shows that these bars were composed of an alloy of silver and copper that could be traced back to the Tarascan culture. The Spaniards referred to this particular alloy as the "metal of Michoacán." The book contains a series of photographs of bars with particularly distinctive marks. The marks were intended to denote purity, ownership, and payment of the royal fifth tax. García provides a list of contemporary Spaniards who could have used these marks. The book is a wonderful analysis of these unique bars that are a genuine link to the early days of the Spanish conquest. One could say that these silver "tumbaga" bars were the unintentional legacy of conquistadors who were unprepared and never foresaw [the need for] a smelting operation in the initial phase of the conquest. Lacking a well-established smelting facility to properly melt and refine this newly found metal, the Spaniards had to resort to Mesoamerican techniques and ended up using cryptic and temporary marks to attest to the purity, ownership, manufacture, and, above all, the payment of the royal fifth. While we may never know how the bars ended up in a shipwreck in the Bahamas, one thing is certain: the specimens studied in this book are the only ones whose existence is known—all from the same shipwreck—and therefore will always be of the highest rarity and historical importance.
Table of Contents - Introduction FIRST PART - Moctezuma's Early Conquest and the Aztecs by Cortés - Bernal Díaz del Castillo's Account - Early Smelting in New Spain and the Reduction of Booty - Seized by the Conquerors SECOND PART - The Tarascan Culture of Michoacán - Tarascan Conquest by Cristóbal de Olid in 1522 and the Link between Michoacán Metal and the "Tumbaga" Shipwreck Treasure - Cortés' Fourth Letter, dated October 15, 1524 THIRD PART - Michoacán Metal and a Overlooked Connection with "Tumbaga" Silver Bars - The Silver Canyon - Metal Content - The "Moon Disk" - Cutting Tools - The "Key Bar" and Disks - A Study of Marks and Types of Bars - The "R Code" - Other Marks - Explanation of the Fifth Found in Gold Bars - The First Coining in the New World - The First Mint and Its Coins - The First Coins of the Mexican Mint - Conclusions - Individuals Related to the "Tumbaga Silver" Period APPENDIX - True History of the Conquest of New Spain - Seven Decrees of Charles V Related to the Circulation of Gold and Silver in the Americas - Selected Sheets of "Tumbaga Silver" Bars - Other Pieces Found in the "Tumbaga" Shipwreck Area - Reference Matrix for "Tumbaga Silver" Bars - Bibliography - Index