Hello, my name is Ian. I have always loved geology, as my father was an amateur geologist and avid treasure seeker who owned a few small placer claims on the La Plata river in southwestern Colorado. Growing up, I was always eager to tag along with my dad on any of his excursions. I was born in El Paso, Texas, but never lived there a day in my life. (To build character later on, I assume. Call it the "Boy named Sue" disorder. Thanks mom and dad.) I spent about 5 years of my wasted youth in a small town called Organ, New Mexico. You may have heard of it. (Victorio Peak, La Rue mines, etc.) I spent most of my time as a kid playing in abandoned mine shafts, (my mother would make me leave an item of clothing outside the entrance, so at least they could pinpoint my carcass,) collecting quartz crystals and turquoise, and hiking around the nearby Organ mountains. I was introduced to a very "colorful" cast of characters as a child, the Hearley brothers and their antics were well known 20 years ago, maybe still to this day. I knew nothing of Spanish treasures as a child, but often wondered, "Just what IS dad looking for out here in the mountains?"
Fast forward to the present. I have lived the last 20 years, (give or take,) in southwestern Colorado. I lived in Lake Havasu City, AZ for a year or two, but have since returned to CO. I am a jack of all trades, a fool for gold and treasure stories, and a king of trivial knowledge. Don't get me wrong. I'm still not playing with a full deck here, but isn't that just "par for the course?"
I started panning, highbanking and metal detecting about 3 years ago, but became interested in Spanish treasures after hearing dozens of stories over the years and finally looking into the myths, legends and stories for myself. The prospect of finding a cache holds more interest to me than scraping a living with the battered end of an old pickaxe. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I don't like the solitude. A social creature, this one is.) I have talked to many people in my never-ending, insatiable thirst for treasure knowledge, (obsession.) I have spent countless hours researching online sites, libraries, old book shops, historic documents, etc. Most of my "combined knowlege" is around the Four Corners area of the country.
Again, don't get me wrong. I have learned just enough to know I really don't know squat. I'm very humble and always consider other's opinions, no matter how much they contrast my own beliefs. I try to see things from a child's perspective, with no pre-conceived notions based on past experiences, then relate what I see to what I've learned thus far. I have an uncanny ability to find places and things not seen for a long time. (Petroglyphs, arborglyphs, pictographs, ruins, trails, mines/caves, etc.) This is counter-balanced by my rotten luck in any kind of monetary situation. (Lottery, creditors, casinos, checking accounts, etc.) I continue to hope that they will negate eachother, leveling the playing field for me to find any sort of buried treaures. I have taken lots of pictures, climbed lots of mountains, researched fanatically and have yet to dig a hole. I want to be sure where the treasure lies before I touch a shovel. Go figure.