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“Nothing remains
but flowers and sad songs
In Mexico now
Where once there were
Warriors and wise men”

An Ancient Aztec Poem

This captivating eerie tale begins in the early 1500s

In a gigantic metropolis located way down in old Mexico

And many believe it will one day end in a red rock Utah canyon

In a cleverly hidden underground chamber still brimming with gold

When Cortez and his Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico

They were extremely startled to find a very advanced civilization

They soon did their best to subjugate and enslave the Aztec people

And tales of vast gold fortunes they heard soon filled them with elation

At first they had been made more than welcome by these ancient Aztecs

Who had initially believed them to be emissaries from the ancient gods

But before long the Aztecs realized that these Spaniards were mere mortals

Very intent on overpowering and stealing from them so they were soon at odds

Before he died the great Aztec leader Montezuma developed a plan

To sneak their vast golden fortune out of old Mexico in the dead of night

And many over the years have claimed they know where this treasure is buried

But what they’ve seen in its secret chambers has filled them with horror and fright

Mysterious Aztec symbols have been found throughout southern Utah

Leading many to believe that somewhere underground here lies this treasure

And through the centuries many have eagerly searched for it everywhere

But what they claim to have found has brought them anything but pleasure

Some claim that they have solved ancient riddles and clever clues

Leading them to an immense underground cave in Utah near Kanab

But when they’ve crawled into this dark cavern they are soon accosted

By ancient Aztec warrior spirits who after centuries will not let them rob

Others claim that this ancient Aztec golden fortune can be cleverly located

By finding its secret canyon entrance which is pinpointed by the sun or moon

But those swearing that they’ve somehow managed to enter the first chamber

Are soon attacked and choked by ghostly demons making them dizzily swoon

I very recently met a grizzled old prospector in a tiny backroads tavern in Utah

Who claimed that he found this buried gold after 30 years but it he could not rob

He swore when he very bravely trekked down the cavern’s dark golden staircase

He too was attacked by frightening spirits in this underground cavern near Kanab

As I stood here below this ancient red rock canyon in the eerie moonlight in Utah

Watching the brilliant moonbeam possibly marking my passage to glory and to fame

I suddenly began wondering if I too was becoming obsessed with Montezuma’s Gold

And wondering if I’d return here myself attempting to solve this ancient deadly game

©2005, Ed Kostro

The center of the ancient Aztec civilization was the immense Valley of Mexico, where Mexico City now stands, and their vast empire of 15 million people included 500 cities and dozens of ancient roads spanning hundreds of miles in every direction. 

And their story is one of the most remarkable tales in world history. The Aztecs were a small unknown group of people who journeyed into Mexico in the 12th century, and who rose to be the greatest power in the Americas by the time the Spaniards arrived here in the 16th century.

Unfortunately, little is known of their origins since they didn’t keep written records, but legend has it that they came from an island called Aztlan, meaning White Place – or The Place of Herons. They believed that they were the ‘chosen ones,’ and they left Aztlan, which they described as a great island with seven sacred temples, eagerly searching for their new promised land.

Most historians believe that Aztlan was located north of Mexico somewhere on the North American continent.  Some, however, believe that Aztlan may have actually been the lost continent of Atlantis.

The most familiar figure in Aztec history is Montezuma II, their leader at the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

In June 1520, the Aztecs were growing extremely restless under this new Spanish control and finally revolted against them. And soon, fearful that they would overpower his Spanish troops, Cortez took Montezuma hostage. He also immediately called upon Montezuma to quell this uprising, but the Aztec ruler was stoned to death while addressing his now disgruntled subjects.

But before Montezuma died, he allegedly instructed his warriors to sneak away and bury their vast gold fortune before the Spaniards could get their hands on it – and to guard it with their lives until he returned.

Many believe that this great Aztec ‘golden caravan’ headed northeast into Mexico’s extremely rugged Sierra Madre Mountains, where it is now lost forever.

Many others, however, believe that these Aztecs journeyed northwest, hundreds of miles further, through ancient Anasazi territory, finally secreting their gold fortune somewhere in a hidden red rock canyon in Utah.

Proponents of this theory point to puzzling petroglyphs and pictographs found throughout southern Utah that have mysterious Aztec symbols etched on them.

Could these cryptic drawings really be the clues to the whereabouts of Montezuma’s Gold, by many estimates worth over $4 Billion?  And could these fantastic tales of ancient Aztec ghosts that have been told by numerous treasure hunters over the years be true ?

You Decide.

But wherever it is, if it truly exists - it’s still out there somewhere – waiting to be found – perhaps even being guarded by ancient Aztec Spirits, who diligently await the return of ‘The Chosen Ones.’