For those that were interested in the results of the "History Detectives" investigation.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1560110865/

Regards:SH.

... and another one gone, another one gone, another one bites the dust!


HAHAHA

Best-Mike

Mike et alia:
Although there was little doubt as to the outcome of the testing,as per Ron Dorn's statement at the time of sample collection,the program gave some good background information.Some of the history discussed,especially that of the gold mining,and the demonstration of the dating methods for the varnish samples was interesting,to say the least.I would have liked to have seen them test a sample from one of the undisputed Hohokam petroglyphs in the immediate area as well though,for comparative purposes.

Ron's home page,along with his qualifications,also has some pretty good stuff on it.
http://alliance.la.asu.edu/dorn/dorn.html

Although some may have been disappointed in the findings,I do not share those feelings.After all,if the Franciscan Liar-Friar had been first,instead of Kino,The history of central Arizona would likely have been completely different.We would probably have no Jesuit Mines or Treasures to seek and debate.

Regards:Wayne

Unfortunately the History Detective website won't connect for me
So I looked it up on Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcos_de_Niza

Is this the inscription you were referring to?

Thanks
Ed

Yep,thats it Roc.

Regards:Somehiker

Have you personally viewed it Wayne ?
If you have-- could you give directions?
Thanks again
ed

GPS....33 21.703 N
111 59.110 W On GE.

I've never hiked South Mountain,Ed.
But I did Camelback once.
The claim of a Margarita Bar at the summit is a bald faced lie,used by them that just want someone to race with.

Regards:SH.

Camelback Mountain is my favorite. But I never hiked it.
Growing up in Phoenix, the story I was told about the
Praying Monk was that He & the Camel were traveling thru
the desert and it started to snow.
The Monk knelt town to pray for better weather
and were petrified.

Ah but South Mountain. Now I did hike that once.
With a bunch of Phoenix locals.
And do mean locos! It was very late at night
and I do believe there was a bar or bear out there.
Surprising I lived to tell the story….


Now if de Niza traveled thru the lower United States
and had a habit of writing graffiti
has any other rock art by him been discovered?
Say in Texas or New Mexico?

Thanks for the coordinates, Wayne !
Ed


Whoops!
I confused De Niza with Cabeza de Vaca
It was Cabeza de Vaca who after landing in Florida
wandered thru Texas & New Mexico
ending up in Mexico

I was born and raised at the foot of the South Mountains. Our homestead property was adjacent to the Blubird Scout Lodge. My home was between South Mountain Ave and old Dobbins/Euclid west of 24th street. The huge wash that ran through our property was fed by three canyons in the mountains. Mormon trail originated in one of the canyons. the mountains were our playground as we grew up. One thing I wish I could learn about was a perfect circle of Saguaro cactuses, planted in a perfectly spaced circle, all the same height. They were about ten foot high when we stumbled upon them. They were not near any trail. We were on horseback and came upon them on the side of the mountain. Anyone have any idea what they may have been? The circle could not have happened naturally since they were spaced perfectly apart, a circle maybe twenty feet round.

Hello circlei and welcome to the DUSA forums!

Things like your circle of Saguaros are always an interesting and puzzling find. Especially when found in an area like South Mountain, where there is a lot of known mining history.

Unless someone has found something like this before, and been able to link it to an existing old mine... About the only thing that might be able to be determined, is an approximate age of the Saguaros, based on their height and the number of arms on them.

If you can go back and get some photos, exact height measurements, and exact distances between all of them. (What appears to be perfectly spaced to the eye, does not always come out that way when measured). Then someone here might be able to do a little "speculating" about whether or not it is a natural, or man made formation, and how old it is.

Without photos and measurements, (Physical/Scientific evidence that the circle exists as you describe it) there just isn't anything to base any reasonable or logical "theory" on.

Best,

Jim