Review: Buried Treasures of the American Southwest

Buried Treasures of the American Southwest: 

Legends of Lost Mines, Hidden Payrolls, and Spanish Gold

W. C. Jameson

Publisher: August House

224 pages

ISBN-10: 0874830826

paperback $14, e-book $10

If there's a lesson in this book, it's "Don't hide things too well."

In 1649, bandits robbed missionaries and hid the loot. They gave a description of the hiding place mentioning trees, rocks, etc. that changed over the years before anyone could return. In southeast Arizona, a huge cache of gold bars, nuggets, and a Spanish parchment was found in 1941. A cave-in and flood buried the treasure before it could be excavated. According to legend, millions if not billions of dollars of stolen or mined treasure lies hidden in secret caches throughout the Southwest.

Native Americans had a different reason for hiding all signs of gold or gold mining – they knew that gold made white people crazy for their land. At least when Indians hid something, they did not want it to be found again. Did they really leave ghosts to guard the gold? Some treasure hunters have claimed to see strange lights and her mysterious sounds coming from underground.

Neither poor directions nor ghosts  stop those determined to find treasure. In the early 1800s, a defrocked French priest headed a murderous bandit gang. He apparently buried 500 gold bars near a spring in western Oklahoma. V-shaped stones are supposed to point out directions. Some treasure hunters have tried hot air balloons to search for the markers. No one has found the treasure yet… but it is only a matter of time, according to the hopeful.

This book includes more than 35 treasure tales from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Simple maps at the beginning of each section give a rough indication of where each treasure is supposed to be. Some of these stories are also included in Jameson's other books, such as Legend and Lore of the Guadalupe Mountains.

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert.  In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle. 

The Mad Monk's Treasure: 

The lost Victorio Peak treasure is the stuff of legends—a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider.

When Erin, a quiet history professor, uncovers a clue that may pinpoint the lost treasure cave, she prepares for adventure. But when a hit and run driver nearly kills her, she realizes she’s not the only one after the treasure. And is Drew, the handsome helicopter pilot who found her bleeding in a ditch, really a hero, or one of the enemy?

Just how far will Erin go to find the treasure and discover what she’s really made of?

“The story has it all—action, romance, danger, intrigue, lost treasure, not to mention a sizzling relationship....”

Webpage sample

Kris Bock’s Amazon page

Excerpt:

   Erin could hardly believe what she was seeing. Could this be it? After all this time waiting, searching, had she finally, finally, found what she was looking for?

   She forced herself to sit back and take a deep breath. Don’t make assumptions. Don’t rush into things. She wanted to leap up and scream her excitement, but years of academic training held. Slow down, double-check everything, and make sure you are right!

   She leaned forward and ran her fingers over the grainy photograph. With that one image, everything seemed to fall into place. This was the clue. It had to be.

   She fumbled in her desk drawer for a magnifying glass and studied the symbols in the photo more closely. At a glance, they looked like your standard Indian petroglyphs. You could find them throughout the Southwest, tucked away in caves or scattered among boulder fields.

   But this was different.

   If she was right—and she had to be right—these symbols were a map. A map that could lead her to one of the greatest caches of buried treasure ever.

   She reached for the phone. In a few seconds a voice said, “Yeah.” Erin could hear the sound of some tool on metal in the background.

   “Camie? I found it!”

Jemez Springs, New Mexico: Hot Springs

Jemez Springs is a small town in the mountains of northwestern New Mexico. As you might guess from the name, it is known for its natural hot springs. Some of these are businesses with a fee.

The Jemez Springs Bath House, operated by the Village of Jemez Springs, is located in the park on Main Street. Open daily 10 AM to 6 PM, prices start at $12 for a 25 min. soak, with a free mineral bath for the week before or after your birthday. Massage and herbal wraps are also available. Reservations recommended.

Giggling Springs Hot Springs has a lovely outdoor soaking pool near the river. They'll even deliver drinks as you soak. They claim, "The water on this property originates from deep beneath the Valles Caldera National Preserve about 17 miles up the mountain. It's the ancient sea water that got trapped there long ago, and so it has been infused with many minerals over eons of time. We believe it's one of the reasons the water here in our village is so special!” Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, other days open 11 AM until 5-10 PM depending on the day and season. Prices start at $18 per hour.

Spence Hot Springs: By Daniel Schwen (Own work) 

[CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], 

via Wikimedia Commons

You can also visit natural hot springs for free.

San Antonio Hot Springs, north of Jemez Springs, is about a 10 minute walk from a parking area. Soak in a series of rock pools, hotter at the top and cooler as they flow down the hill. No official website, but Trip Advisor and Trails.com have info, and this motorcyclist posted a description of the trip with photos.

McCauley Hot Springs requires a 2 mile hike. The pool is large, shallow and warm rather than hot. It makes a nice stop on a hike on hot day. You can start from Battleship Rock a few miles north of Jemez Springs, or from Jemez Falls off NM-4. If you're up for a 5 1/2 mile round-trip, you can start at Battleship Rock, stop at the Hot Springs, and also visit the impressive waterfall. Camping is available at both ends of the trail, but check ahead for seasonal closures.

Spence Hot Spring is about 5 miles North of Jemez Springs, a short hike from a paved but unmarked parking area. These springs are overused and may not be very clean.

If you need even more relaxation, Bodhi Manda Zen Center is a Buddhist center offering Zen practice and retreats. Stop by for individual meditation, group chanting and meditation, or public ceremonies. Families are welcome.

In or near Jemez Springs, you can also visit the ruins of an old Spanish church; Soda Dam, a cool rock formation formed from the mineralized water flowing in the river; and Battleship Rock, so named because it resembles the prow of a battleship. (Pictures on my Pinterest page.)  I'll follow up in another post.

I’ve attended many writing retreats at a camp north of Jemez Springs, and those experiences inspired Counterfeits. Of course, in the book, the site isn’t quite so relaxing. When Jenny inherits a children’s art camp, she discovers that her grandmother’s death might not have been an accident after all. The men who killed her grandmother are searching for stolen paintings, and they think Jenny and her old friend Rob, the camp cook, are involved. Doing research at a real camp tucked away in the woods, and hiking above Battleship Rock for a scene where Jenny gets lost, helped the setting feel realistic.

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Excerpt:

Jenny rose from sleep slowly, her body resisting. She could see nothing in the pitch black. Where was she? She blinked, trying to make sure her eyes were really open.

    Memories broke through the fog. The phone call, the rush across country, the late arrival. Crawling into bed in her grandparents’ upstairs guest room. She groaned and pulled up the blanket. Morning must be hours away, given the darkness.

    The old house creaked, but no sounds drifted in from outside. Maybe that’s what woke her; she was used to the murmur of city sounds all night long. Who’d have thought that would become normal?

    Her head pounded. Probably dehydration from the high elevation and dry air. She should get up, drink a glass of water, take a couple of aspirin. Her head would thank her in the morning. If only she could make herself move.

    The house creaked again, followed by a rhythmic sound – like footsteps. Jenny jerked upright, her ears straining. Had she heard a voice?

    She shook her head. She must still be half asleep, dreaming. Imagining her grandparents were still here. Wishful thinking.

    Downstairs, a door closed. Jenny clutched the blanket. Imagination be damned. She was not alone.

    For a long moment, she sat frozen. During her ten years in New York City, she had never been burglarized or mugged. It seemed impossible that such a thing should happen now, here, in an off-season art camp five miles outside of Jemez Springs, New Mexico.

    Maybe it was someone her grandmother knew. But what were they doing there in the middle of the night? And if they’d come to see Jenny, they should have knocked, rung the bell. Waited for morning. Anyway, who knew she was there? Even Ms. Lucena didn’t know when she was supposed to arrive. She hadn’t told anyone her travel plans; she’d just gone.

    She had to do something. Jenny rose and eased open the bedroom door, praying she had somehow been mistaken, that everything would make sense if… when…. She couldn’t imagine a benign explanation.

    She stood with her ear to the crack and heard a low chuckle, and then a male voice. She couldn’t tell if the laugh and the voice were the same person. Either way, that suggested two or more people, at least one of them male.

    Why would a man be laughing in her grandmother’s house, in the middle of the night, two days after her grandmother’s death? No good reason came to mind.

    She fumbled for her phone on the bedside stand. But even before she activated the screen, she gave a frustrated grunt. She wouldn’t get reception here. The only place in camp that got cell phone reception was the southeast corner of the parking lot. The landline was downstairs, in the kitchen.

    Something crashed in a room below. Jenny jumped and dropped her phone. It hit her thigh, then her foot, and went skittering under the bed with a faint scrape against the wood floor.

    A man was swearing downstairs. Hopefully that had covered up any sound she’d made. Jenny clenched her hands to control the trembling. She couldn’t imagine her grandmother being friendly with anyone who swore like that.

    She had to get out of the house. She wouldn’t wait upstairs for the burglars, if that’s what they were, to find her. If she could get to her car – damn. Her keys were in her purse, which was downstairs on the living room couch. So she couldn’t drive, but she could still go to the Lodge, break in if she had to. Use the phone in the office, call the police.

    Still shaking, Jenny crouched and felt along the floor for her shoes. She was wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top; no need to waste time putting on clothes. She was already cold, but her jacket was downstairs, lying over her purse on the couch. It didn’t matter. She just had to get out.

Homemade Green Chile Sauce

New Mexico green chile, 

by Littlemisslibrarian, 

Creative Commons License

I write novels of adventure and romance set in the Southwestern United States. The novels touch on local culture, including food. In fact, for my most recent romantic suspense, The Dead Man’s Treasure, I put together a recipe booklet of foods mentioned in the book. Here's an excerpt on green chiles. (See also my post Red or Green: The New Mexico Chile.)

Roasted Green Chiles

This is an important ingredient in many recipes. In New Mexico, you can buy bags of frozen, roasted, and chopped green chiles. Elsewhere, grocery stores may have small cans of green chiles in the Mexican section. You can also buy Anaheim chiles – the closest to the New Mexico green chile – in the produce section and roast them yourself. Poblanos (also called pasilla peppers) are good as well, though they have a different flavor.

A gas grill is ideal, but the broiler works, and for two or three peppers I use the toaster oven.

1. Wash the chiles. Use gloves if you don’t want to risk stinging hands (and eyes, if you rub them).
2. Puncture the chile pepper so the steam can escape. Some people like to split each pepper lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and membranes first.
3. Arrange the chiles in a single layer on a barbecue grill and cook over high heat, or place on a foil-covered baking sheet 4 to 5 inches from your oven’s broiler.
4. Grill or broil the chile peppers until the skin is starting to blacken and bubble, turning the peppers to blister each side evenly.
5. Cover the peppers with a damp kitchen towel, or seal them in a plastic container with a couple of ice cubes for at least ten minutes. This cools the chiles, and the steam also loosens the skin so it’s easier to peel.
6. Peel off the skin while holding the chile under running water. Don’t forget your gloves! Remove the seeds and membranes if you didn’t do that at the beginning.
7. Use the peppers within a few days, or freeze them in airtight bags. Chop them first if you expect to want chopped rather than whole green chiles for cooking.

Homemade Green Chile Sauce

from author/illustrator/fine artist Lois Bradley

Easy and good as base for green chile stew, or for huevos rancheros, enchiladas, etc.

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 finely diced onion

1/2 tsp cumin

dash oregano

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

Salt/pepper to taste

2 cups chopped roasted green chile (about 6-8 Big Jims or comparable mild chile)

2 cups +/- chicken broth.

3 Tbsp. cornstarch with 3 Tbsp. water

1. Sauté onion, cumin, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper in vegetable oil until onion is translucent.
2. Stir in green chile and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
3. Thicken with a slurry of cornstarch and water. Turn heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.

The Dead Man’s Treasure

Rebecca Westin is shocked to learn the grandfather she never knew has left her a bona fide buried treasure – but only if she can decipher a complex series of clues leading to it. The hunt would be challenging enough without interference from her half-siblings, who are determined to find the treasure first and keep it for themselves. Good thing Rebecca has recruited some help.

Sam is determined to show Rebecca that a desert adventure can be sexy and fun. But there’s a treacherous wildcard in the mix, a man willing to do anything to get that treasure – and revenge.

Action and romance combine in this lively Southwestern adventure, complete with riddles the reader is invited to solve to identify historical and cultural sites around New Mexico. See the DMT page of Kris Bock’s website for a printable list of the clues and recipes from the book.

The first book in the Southwest Treasure Hunters series is The Mad Monk’s Treasure. The Dead Man’s Treasure is book 2. Each novel stands alone and is complete, with no cliffhangers. This series mixes action and adventure with “closed door” romance. The stories explore the Southwest, especially New Mexico.

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Excerpt

Rebecca’s hand shook as she reached for the box. It was a metal candy tin for peppermint bark. Maybe Grandpa had a sweet tooth? Or was this some random trash left by a tourist too lazy to bring it back to his car? She straightened and gazed down at the box. It had to hold the next clue. It would be too much of a coincidence – and too heartbreaking – if it were anything else.

She glanced at Sam and he nodded in encouragement, drawing close to her side. She swung open the lid. Several folded pieces of paper lay inside. A strip of masking tape on the inside lid had words in marker: “Take one and leave the others unless you are the last.”

Rebecca pulled out the top piece of paper and unfolded it.

Are they witches in disguise

Or prophets of the future?

The men who came here didn’t know.

They had destruction on their minds.

And they changed the world.

They ate of the flesh among bombers and bullets.

And so should you!

Then past the dead soldiers you’ll find a dead end.

One is the loneliest number

Walled off from its fellows.

Pay your respects and do not forget.

Another baffling poem. Rebecca wrinkled her nose. “This one’s kind of gruesome.”

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page.

New Mexico green chile, by Littlemisslibrarian, Creative Commons License

Review: Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of Arizona

Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of Arizona

W. C. Jameson

Paperback $20 , e-book $14

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (2009)

Pages: 184

ISBN-10: 0826344135

After a brief introduction, the book is divided into four quadrants for the parts of the state, allowing a local or traveler to identify legends in their area. However, the maps beginning each section seem to be decorative elements rather than useful indicators of where each story is set.

The narration is a bit more academic than in some of Jameson's work, more journalistic nonfiction and less dramatic storytelling. The stories themselves are dramatic enough, though. They show what a brutal business prospecting was. In the earliest days, Spanish Jesuit priests enslaved Apaches to mine gold. The Apaches retaliated, eventually killing all of the Jesuits. The famous Apache leader Geronimo later traded that gold for guns to aid his fight against the white man.

In the 1800s, miners were attacked by Native Americans, bandits, and other miners. Bandits betrayed their own gang members. Even family members could not be trusted, as in one story where two men took over their brother’s business by having him committed to an insane asylum.

In one nine-page story, "Coconino County's Lost Gold Ingots," the death toll runs into the dozens. A gang of bandits killed an Apache family for sport. A group of Apaches followed the bandits and killed several of them before they were attacked from the rear by a posse also pursuing the bandits. All the bandits died during or soon after the chase. They set off a blast in a cave to hide their loot, $400,000 worth of gold (worth close to $50 million today). One man found evidence of the treasure in 1964, but died from a heart attack before he could retrieve the gold or leave directions to his discovery.

Tombstone, Arizona today

All this in an attempt to placate the lust for gold and silver. According to Jameson, "It was believed by many [Indians and Mexicans] that to retrieve wealth that was lost or hidden was to invite bad luck."  Certainly there are few happy endings in these legends of lost mines and treasures, many of which are still buried or hidden in the remote canyons and deserts of Arizona.

The Dead Man’s Treasure: A romantic adventure

If you enjoy travel, the Southwest, riddles and puzzles, or all of those things, check out my latest romantic adventure novel, The Dead Man’s Treasure. A quick excerpt:

   Rebecca’s hand shook as she reached for the box. It was a metal candy tin for peppermint bark. Maybe Grandpa had a sweet tooth? Or was this some random trash left by a tourist too lazy to bring it back to his car? She straightened and gazed down at the box. It had to hold the next clue. It would be too much of a coincidence – and too heartbreaking – if it were anything else.

   She glanced at Sam and he nodded in encouragement, drawing close to her side. She swung open the lid. Several folded pieces of paper lay inside. A strip of masking tape on the inside lid had words in marker: “Take one and leave the others unless you are the last.”

   Rebecca pulled out the top piece of paper and unfolded it.

Are they witches in disguise

Or prophets of the future?

The men who came here didn’t know.

They had destruction on their minds.

And they changed the world.

They ate of the flesh among bombers and bullets.

And so should you!

Then past the dead soldiers you’ll find a dead end.

One is the loneliest number

Walled off from its fellows.

Pay your respects and do not forget.

   Another baffling poem. Rebecca wrinkled her nose. “This one’s kind of gruesome.”

About The Dead Man’s Treasure:

Rebecca Westin is shocked to learn the grandfather she never knew has left her a bona fide buried treasure – but only if she can decipher a complex series of clues leading to it. The hunt would be challenging enough without interference from her half-siblings, who are determined to find the treasure first and keep it for themselves. 

Good thing Rebecca has recruited some help, in the form of a green-eyed charmer determined to show her that a desert adventure can be sexy and fun. But there’s a treacherous wildcard in the mix, a man willing to do anything to get that treasure – and revenge. In a frantic race across New Mexico, Rebecca will have to ignore caution in a defiant bid for victory. If she fails, she could lose everything.

Action and romance combine in this lively Southwestern adventure, complete with riddles the reader is invited to solve to identify historical and cultural sites around New Mexico. See the DMT page of Kris Bock’s website for a printable list of the clues and recipes from the book.

The first book in the Southwest Treasure Hunters series is TheMad Monk’s Treasure. It’s based on a legend about the Victorio Peak treasure – a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider. TheMad Monk’s Treasure introduced Erin and Camie, who make appearances in this book. The Dead Man’s Treasure is book 2. Each novel stands alone and is complete, with no cliffhangers. This series mixes action and adventure with “closed door” romance. The stories explore the Southwest, especially New Mexico.with

Kris Bock’s Amazon page

Kris Bock website

The Dead Man’s Treasure Website sample

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The Mad Monk’s Treasure Webpage sample

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Falcons: Inspiration from a Bird of Prey

Some people are dog people, some are cat people. I like both, depending on the individual, but if anything I am really a wild animal person. One of the benefits of my New Mexico home office is that I can look out the window at the wild world wandering by – lizards, quail and many other birds, a fox family that lives in the neighborhood, occasionally even a coyote.

A couple of years ago, I met a local falconer. I tagged along on hunts, as he released a falcon after homing pigeons on a cold winter morning or let a hawk chase rabbits on a spring afternoon. (For those of you who are squeamish, the birds of prey don’t succeed as often as you might expect, but they get exercise.) I visited the falconer’s home to see newly hatched hawks and falcons. I even wrote an article about him and his birds for a local publication.

Raising falcons is an intense, time-consuming, and expensive hobby, so I don’t plan to get into falconry myself. But as an author, I could do the next best thing – I could write about it.

In What We Found, set in a small town in central New Mexico, a young woman stumbles on a dead body in the woods. Audra gets drawn into the investigation, but more than one person isn’t happy about her bringing a murder to light. Fortunately, she has some allies, including her brainy 12-year-old brother and self-appointed sidekick, Ricky; a sophisticated Navajo coworker, Nascha; and her goofy but loyal boss, Eslinda. And because this is suspense with a dose of romance, she has a love interest – Kyle, a mysterious young man who happens to be the brother of the murder victim.

Kyle is recovering from physical and psychological wounds he received during military service. He finds some peace helping his grandmother, Nancy, work with the falcons and hawks she keeps. Audra goes with him one morning when he's taking his falcon to hunt. This scene is closely based on one of my experiences with the falconer.

    We strode across the desert, angling to pass by bushy patches where rabbits might be hiding. The hawk flew ahead again, soaring about twenty feet above the ground before landing on a small tree. She waited until we passed by, then made another hop, farther that time. Kyle raised his left arm to shoulder height. The hawk flew back and landed. Watching her come in sent a strange breathless thrill through my chest. I’d seen owls and eagles fairly close in the zoo, but there they were sitting quietly on perches. This was a glimpse of something wild and beautiful.

    After fifteen minutes my feet were hurting even though I was sure Kyle was going slower than usual for him. I tried to hide my limp and wondered how long this usually took.

    A jackrabbit bolted out of a bush twenty paces ahead. The hawk took off after it.

    Seconds later, she swooped down behind some bushes several hundred feet away. She rose up, made a small loop, and dropped down again. Something shrieked.

    Kyle was already running toward the action. I hurried after, though the distance between us quickly stretched. By the time I got there, he had the hawk on his arm again. She had a feather sticking out awkwardly from her wing. I didn’t see the rabbit and wondered if Kyle had hidden it to make it easier on me.

    “She got beat up,” Kyle said. “That rabbit had some moves.”

    “It got away?”

    He nodded and plucked a small tuft of gray fur from the bush. “She made contact. But this time, it looks like the rabbit won.” He opened his fingers and the small tuft of fur drifted away on the breeze.

    I was smiling. “The rabbit won!”

    “It happens sometimes. Fortunately for our girl, she won’t starve.” He looked into her black eyes. “It’s frozen quail for you tonight, my dear.”

     

The falcons are realistically portrayed in What We Found, so they don’t help solve the crime or anything like that. But the falconry aspect helped me develop thematic elements of the story, added some unusual action, and provided readers with insight into an usual pastime. One reader wrote, “The falconry aspect was almost as intriguing as the unveiling of the murderer!”

What We Found

A romantic mystery: When Audra finds a murdered woman, she’ll have to stand up for herself to help the victim. It’s a risk, as is trusting the mysterious man who works with deadly birds of prey. But with danger all around, some risks are worth taking.

“Another action-packed suspense novel by Kris Bock, perhaps her best to-date. The author weaves an intriguing tale with appealing characters. Watching Audra, the main character, evolve into an emotionally-mature and independent young woman is gratifying.” Reader Ellen Rippel

Read an excerpt on my website

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Review: Legend and Lore of the Guadalupe Mountains

I’ve been researching lost and buried treasures as I plot the next book in my treasure hunting romantic adventure series. The first book in the Southwest Treasure Hunters series is The Mad Monk’s Treasure. The Dead Man’s Treasure is book 2. For book 3, I need ideas….

Legend and Lore of the Guadalupe Mountains

W. C. Jameson

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press

Pages: 157

ISBN: 0826342175

Paperback $15

The Guadalupe Mountains are in West Texas (near El Paso) and southeastern New Mexico. The mountain range includes the highest peak in Texas at 8749 feet, Guadalupe Peak, as well as the dramatic El Capitan peak. Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico are within the mountain range. The range extends from desert and grasslands to forested upland, with steep, rocky trails, and stories of giant rattlers and even jaguars.

This book starts with an overview of the land, people, and history, including the Spanish, Mescalero Apache, US military, and miners. Some chapters cover general history. Others describe mysteries or paranormal episodes. Some visitors have claimed to hear strange drumming sounds and seen campfires or smoke, though no source was ever found. One legend tells of a ghost crewmember from a bomber plane that went down in the mountains the 1940s.

Rattlesnake Canyon in the Guadalupes

You will also find stories of specific treasures, hidden by bandits or by the Spanish who mined gold ore and hid it in various caves and crevices. In one case, two men stole military rifles from the US Army Calvary during the 1880s. They buried these in several places and added headstones to make the sites look like graves, believing most people would not disturb a grave. In fact, these caches remained intact until the grandson of one of the men located the graves in the 1960s.

Several of the stories are tragic. Some people wasted their lives looking for mines they never found. One chapter describes a Native American village found with everyone mysteriously dead, despite no visible wounds.

Overall, this book is lively nonfiction – or mostly nonfiction, as  the author suggests thoughts and feelings for the people in the stories. While these assumptions are reasonable, it's unlikely he had documentation as proof in all cases. The book does, after all, claim to be "legend and lore," not an academic treatise. It's fairly clear which stories are based on fact and which on less-proven material. A scattering of historic photos adds visual appeal.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is "one of the nation's most pristine wilderness areas," according to the government website, known for hiking, backpacking, and birding. The park includes a visitor center, campgrounds, The Frijole Ranch History Museum, an abandoned ranch house, white Salt Basin Dunes, and picturesque canyons. Visitors are unlikely to find treasure in the form of cached gold, but scenic treasures and adventures abound.

Each novel stands alone and is complete, with no cliffhangers. This series mixes action and adventure with "closed door" romance. The stories explore the Southwest, especially New Mexico.

The Mad Monk’s Treasure:

A legendary treasure hunt in the dramatic—and deadly—New Mexico desert....

The lost Victorio Peak treasure is the stuff of legends—a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider.

When Erin, a quiet history professor, uncovers a clue that may pinpoint the lost treasure cave, she prepares for adventure. But when a hit and run driver nearly kills her, she realizes she’s not the only one after the treasure. And is Drew, the handsome helicopter pilot who found her bleeding in a ditch, really a hero, or one of the enemy?

Just how far will Erin go to find the treasure and discover what she’s really made of?

“The story has it all—action, romance, danger, intrigue, lost treasure, not to mention a sizzling relationship....”

Read the first three chapters at www.krisbock.com.

The Dead Man’s Treasure

Rebecca Westin’s grandfather left her a buried treasure – if she can decipher a complex series of clues leading to it. Her half-siblings are determined to reach the treasure first. Good thing Rebecca has help, in the form of a green-eyed charmer determined to make their desert adventure sexy and fun. But a treacherous enemy will do anything to get that treasure – and revenge.

Action and romance combine in this lively Southwestern adventure, complete with riddles the reader is invited to solve to identify historical and cultural sites around New Mexico. 

[public domain photos via National Park Service]

Hovenweep National Monument: Mystery and Archaeology

Hovenweep Castle by HJPD

In my romantic suspense Whispers in the Dark, my heroine is an archaeology Masters student working at the fictional “Lost Valley.” This site is closely based on Hovenweep National Monument.

Located on the southern border between Colorado and Utah, these ruins once housed 2500 people between A.D. 1200 and 1300. It’s one of many sites left behind by the ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi. It’s smaller and less visited than Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde, but that’s part of its charm. You can hike and camp without crowds.

Hovenweep Castle by Greg Willis

One hike takes you along a small canyon dotted with ruins, including multi-story towers and mudbrick structures balanced on boulders. The structures were built between A.D. 1200 and 1300. They may be square, circular, or D-shaped. There are many kivas, ceremonial structures. Some structures are still standing after 700 years, despite being built on the irregular surfaces of boulders. Mysteries abound. What were the towers for? Theories include celestial observatories, storage, defensive structures, homes, and civil buildings.

The reason people abandoned Hovenweep is also uncertain. A long drought was probably a factor, maybe combined with warfare and the depletion of resources. People throughout the area migrated into New Mexico and Arizona. Their descendents are today's Pueblo, Hopi, and Zuni people.

Hovenweep Cutthroat4 by HJPD

Despite a ranger station, campground, and trails, Hovenweep is often quiet. The lonely location allows for an almost Gothic atmosphere – mysterious lights in the canyon, spooky moaning sounds, and plenty of people hiding secrets. My heroine, Kylie, finds more than she bargains for, of course – including mystery, danger, and new love. She also falls in love with the Southwest, as I did after moving to New Mexico more 12 years ago.

Hovenweep National Monument is managed by the National Park Service.

Some lovely photos of Hovenweep by Orland Ned Eddins.

Road Scholar offers a Four Corners tour that includes Hovenweep.

Whispers in the Dark: Archaeology student Kylie Hafford craves adventure when she heads to the remote Puebloan ruins of Lost Valley, Colorado, to excavate. Romance isn’t in her plans, but she soon meets two sexy men: Danesh looks like a warrior from the Pueblo’s ancient past, and Sean is a charming, playful tourist. The summer heats up as Kylie uncovers mysteries, secrets, and terrors in the dark. She’ll need all her strength and wits to survive—and to save the man she’s come to love. 

Whispers in the Dark, romantic suspense set in the Four Corners region of the Southwest, will appeal to fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Terry Odell.

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Red or Green? The New Mexico Chile

New Mexico green chile, 

by Littlemisslibrarian, 

Creative Commons License

Happy New Year, from the Southwest Armchair Traveler blog!

I haven’t found many local New Year’s traditions here, though in Las Cruces, New Mexico, they started a new tradition this year – dropping a big chile in a takeoff of the New York City ball drop. Chile is hardly seasonal, though.

New Mexico is most famous, at least in culinary terms, for its green chile, which comes slathered over almost any dish. The official state question is “Red or Green?” – which version of the chile sauce do you want? Despite what spell check thinks, I’m not talking about chili, which is a stew that may contain beans and/or meat. Rather, chile refers to chopped or puréed New Mexico chile peppers, possibly cooked in broth with some onion and garlic.

Red chile is simply green chile that has ripened. It is usually dried and powdered, whereas green chile is roasted over open flames, chopped, and frozen until use. The flavor of red chile is generally sweeter and mellower, though either color can have a variety of heat levels. 

“Red or green?” is partly a personal preference, though certain dishes tend to come with one or the other. You can also order something “Christmas” style, meaning with both red and green.

Dried red New Mexico chile peppers, 

by Badagnani, 

Creative Commons License

People who have lived in New Mexico and then move elsewhere often go to great lengths to get New Mexican green chile. Yes, you can buy little cans of green chile in most grocery stores, but it’s mild and just… not the same. So you see people heading to the airport with suitcases and coolers packed full of green chile. Some companies will even ship frozen chiles, bought in packs of 5 or 10 pounds.

If you don’t want to go to that much trouble, or you like a milder flavor, canned chile from the grocery store may work fine for you. You can also try other fresh chile peppers – Anaheims are the closest to the Mexico green chile – and roast them yourself.

A gas grill is ideal, but for small batches I toast them in the toaster oven until the skin is starting to blacken and bubble. Seal them in a plastic container with a couple of ice cubes for at least ten minutes. This cools the chiles, and the steam also loosens the skin so it’s easier to peel. Then peel off the skin while holding the chile under running water. Use gloves if you don’t want to risk stinging hands (and eyes, if you rub them).

Learn more about the New Mexico Chile, including instructions for roasting peppers at home, from this New Mexico Chile for Dummies! page.

Learn even more about chile peppers of all kinds from The Chile Pepper Institute, an international organization “devoted to education and research related to Capsicum or chile peppers.” Should you be visiting Las Cruces, NM, the Institute’s Horticulture Center has a garden “showcasing 150 chile pepper varieties from around the world.”

Here is a recipe for Basic Green Chili Sauce from Focus New Mexico.

Please follow the blog for occasional recipes as well as travel essays, insights into Southwestern history and culture, book reviews, and guest posts from authors with books set in the Southwest. 

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. Whispers in the Dark involves archaeology and intrigue among ancient ruins. What We Found features a young woman who stumbles on a murder victim, and Rattled follows a treasure hunt in the New Mexico desert. To learn more, check the pages on this blog, or visit www.krisbock.com or her Amazon page.