PERALTA & OTHER SPANISH SKATE BORDERS

The area now known as Arizona became a Mexican Territory in 1821, when Mexico gained its independence from Spain. However, Americans were starting to settle into the area and the many border disputes finally erupted in war, with the result being that most of Arizona became a U.S. possession in 1848. 

It's around this time that the Lost Dutchman Legend plot (or should that be pot - with all that's being smuggled across the border) starts to thicken. It seems that a Spanish miner named Don Miquel Peralta (no relation to the skate board Peralta) found gold in the Superstitions. One variation of how he found the gold is that he was given a map by a Jesuit Priest. As part of the directions, a tall "sombrero" mountain (Weaver's Needle?) was a major landmark. In any event, he and his party of men mined the area extensively. Reports indicate there were at least 8 separate mines, all containing fabulous wealth.

In 1853, Southern Arizona was sold to the U.S. via (no relation to Pancho) the Gadsden Purchase, (which ultimeately led to Santa Anna's loss of power in Mexico - see more about Santa Anna in anaGRAMMYS).   Because he wasn't a U.S. citizen, Peralta became worried that he would not be allowed to continue his mining operations and so launched one last massive expedition consisting of hundreds of men. According to the Legend, the Apache, who considered this area to be sacred, discovered and massacred all of the group.  Other variations of the story say that Peralta or one of his relatives escaped. In any case, the Apache left the gold where it was, either on the open ground or in the mines. Some speculate (gold speculators?) that this gold is, in fact, the Lost Dutchman Gold.

About one hundred years later, a vacationing couple found some stone maps, with the names Pedro and Miguel on them.  These names then became hooked to Peralta's and thus, the Peralta Stones became another "link in the chain" of the "missing" Gold Legend.