MS 1. THEY CAME BEFORE THE GERMANS…
  The Allure of the Texas Hill Country… The Spaniards Arrive…
SPAIN ABSCONDS WITH AZTEC TREASURES AND HUNTS FOR GOLD IN TEXAS
The Spanish and the Portuguese, since the voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1492, have
long been in search of the riches of the Western Hemisphere. The Spanish Conquistadors under
the helm of Herman Cortes reached America in 1519. He named the site of his landing Vera Cruz,
now an important port city of Mexico. The leader of the Aztecs, Montezuma, in Central Mexico,
upon hearing of the invaders coming ashore, sent Cortes offers or overtures of peace in the form
of gold and fine gifts. These gestures only whipped up the greed and excitement of the Spaniards
to find the source for the gold and silver all the more.
Making their way inland to Montezuma’s throne after much sinister wheeling and dealing, the
cunning Cortes soon brought the Aztecs to their knees after only two years in 1521. King Carlos V
of Spain made Hernan Cortes the governor and commander of this new found country they named
New Spain in 1522. Finding and shipping gold and other valuables to King Carlos was part of
Cortes’ strategy to keep himself in the king’s good favor. Cortes died in 1547 and was buried in
Mexico City’s main plaza.
Cortes was replaced by Antonio de Mendoza and steady streams of fresh new troops followed
him into New Spain. Many new colonies or territories were opened up, or conquered: Honduras
(south), Kansas (north), and New Orleans (east) where the natural resources, such as gold, silver,
and other minerals, were exploited. Wherever these conquistadors went they built presidios (forts)
and missions so that the missionaries could teach the natives the Spanish language, religion, and
their new culture. (1 MS I. I-a)
Expeditions from Spain continued to make their way into South and Central America and into
North America. By the 1700’s they were setting up presidios and missions in south, west, and east
Texas from San Antonio de Bexar to Mission San Saba at Menard, to their mission near
Nacogdoches where they hoped to block the French from crossing the Sabine into the Tejas
Territory. Franciscan monks from Spain under the direction of the venerable friar, Antonio Margill,
founded Mission San Jose in 1720 about four miles south of downtown San Antonio. Even today
San Jose is the most beautiful of all the Texas missions built by the Spaniards. (1 MS I. I-b)
The San Saba mine was referred to as La Mina de Los Almagres. The Indians, especially the
Comanches, in what is now the Texas Hill Country fought the Spanish persistently with relentless
ferocity. Eventually Comanches caused the Spanish to flee and retreat to the San Antonio de
Bexar area, now called San Antonio. German Texan historian, Wolfram M. Von-Maszewski,
purports that the Spanish gold and silver mines just might never have been all that productive
anyway. But holding territory was thought to be worth their while. Each presidio and mission
needed to be supported. Each had a vault of money or gold. Upon being overrun, the Spanish did
not always get to take these valuables or treasures with them, if they were lucky enough to retreat
at all. Thus, buried or hidden gold became the object of searches of presidios and missions that
were overrun. Spanish expeditions continued until Mexico received its independence. Then,
through the years Mexico, and others, kept searching for the legendary or hidden gold and silver.
(1 MS I. I-c)
An area in present day Llano County, only a few miles from the present town of Llano, off
Highway 16 South to the southeast, was also the object of intense interest since the latter 1700’s.
A mountain containing red ore was located in what is now called the Riley Mountains. Twentythree
soldiers under the command of Bernardo de Miranda y Flores left San Antonio on February
17, 1756, were led to the ore site by Lipan Apache guides. Samples were gleaned and sent to
Mexico for appraisal with the results generating little interest. However, all the activity and troop
movements were enough to keep the legend alive.
The governor of Tamaulipas sent Captain Ortiz Parrilla to the San Saba mission and presidio
just outside of present-day Menard to work the mine. Reports were that 1 1/2 ounces of silver
could be realized from 75 pounds of ore. Again, the fierce Comanches, perhaps numbering 6,000
or so, put up with the intruders for just so long. The slag heaps the Spaniards left on the bank of
the San Saba River served, however, to fire the imagination of later treasure-seekers. In the
1820’s when Stephen F. Austin first began dealing with the leaders of Mexico about bringing
settlers from the American South into what is now East Texas; he learned the stories of the silver
and the gold mines and buried Spanish treasures of the Hill Country. Suspicion is, Austin just
might have added these probable silver and gold mine areas to his maps around 1829 in order to
entice more settlers to sign on. (1 MS I. I-d)
The Texas province of Mexico was ruled by Spain until 1827 and also included New Mexico
and Colorado. Intermarriage between royals of Spain and Germany was going on at that time as
attested by the speech of Prince Johannes (Hans) von Sachsen-Altenburg who spoke about his
family’s long held interest in the gold and other precious metals in Texas. (1 MS I. I-e) The
Spanish troops were far outnumbered by the various tribes of the Comanche People in Central and
West Texas. This caused the Spanish leaders in Texas and Mexico to be most cooperative and
generous with Americans who were looking for land grants and wished to settle in Texas, such as
Moses and Stephen F. Austin in 1821. (1 MS I. I-f)
Interest in the mines of Mexico in the state of Tamaulipas, which included what is now Texas,
existed on the part of German speculators as far back as 1817. Baron Johann von Racknitz
Ludwigsburg of Wuerttemberg, after learning of the expeditions by earlier Europeans, also became
intrigued by the possibility of discovering gold in the Texas Hill Country. He was interested in the
profits to be made by bringing German immigrants to Texas, acquisition of land, and searching for
the lost San Saba gold and mines. According to Texas German historian, Rudolph L. Biesele,
Racknitz’s Tamaulipas Mina expedition was ill-fated, probably because of the same relentless
attacks by the Indians who were intent on protecting their turf. (1 MS I. I-g) Also, Von Racknitz
continued to be enthralled with the Texas Hill Country so that in 1834 he was still actively trying to
secure land on which to settle German colonists. Political turbulence (the siege of the Alamo by
Mexican forces happened in 1836) and other factors, perhaps illnesses and his age, as well as
vengeful Indians kept getting into the way of his plans. But the idea of gold in the hills of Texas did
not die out. It never has, and probably never will.
Only eight years after Freiherr Von Racknitz’s time, other royals of Germany picked up the
search for the Golden Grail of Texas. The “Zauber Stein” or Enchanted Rock, regarded as holy by
the Indians, belonged to a system of batholitic granite mountains, one of them a half-mile high,
attracted Germany’s best geomorphologists. Among these were Duke Paul von Wuerttemberg,
Baron Ottfried Hans von Meusebach (John O. Meusebach, the founder of the city of Friedrichsburg
as well as the village of Loyal Valley), and the pre-eminent paleontologist, Dr. Ferdinand von
Roemer of Hildesheim, Germany.

Notes are found on the last story of this series, http://texas-hill-country.com/issue/texas-hill-country/article/twentieth-century-the-lure-continues 

By Kenn Knopp

 Knopp, Kenn  http://www.kennknopp.com/
  Since 1956 this is a synergistic journalism and  public relations collective midrash of families, genealogy, and actual history encompassing Germany, Texas, and United States experiences.. It was begun at the University of Texas at Austin, M.A. degree program in strategic public relations in 1958 under the tutelage of Dr. Alan Scott of precious memory and has been ongoing ever since. Entitled: Protecting & Enchancing the German Heritage of Fredericksburg, Texas. The research has been bequeathed to the Special Collections Archives of Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg for the benefit and the use of all researchers. 
   This series of stories will become a regular feature of www.Texas-Hill-Country.com Online magazine with permission and all rights from Kenn Knopp, from the beginnings of the research to the end, check back regularly for the "rest of the story".

ger Manuskripte
Volume III
self-published,
Director- www.germanheritagefoundation.com
(Public Relations and Communications industry)
September 1982 — Present

Research about the Germans of the Texas Hill Country, their origins and
homeplaces, their life, times, and contribution to the United States.
Research and collections primarily at Texas Tech University at
Fredericksburg and at the author's home office at 407 Cora Street,
Fredericksburg TX 78624. email: alterstolz@gmail.com


Kenn Knopp’s Education
The University of Texas at Austin
1952 — 1956

Additional Information
Kenn Knopp’s Websites:
My Website http://www.kennknopp.com/
Kenn Knopp’s Interests:
German heritage, music and history, genealogy, spiritual retreats,
culinaria adventures, Stammtisch discussions, meditation, etc..

Kenn Knopp’s Groups:
Fredericksburg German Singers, Democratic Party, Catholic Permanent
Deacons of San Antonio Archdiocese, Old German Bakery/Restaurant Stammtisch