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Treasure of the Sangre De Cristos Tales and Traditions of the Spanish Southwest

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Arthur L. Campa's Treasure of the Sangre de Cristos: Tales and Traditions of the Spanish Southwest comprises 15 distinct tales of treasures lost and found throughout the region of the Sangre de Cristos mountains. The author's heavy reliance on personal interviews results in a book that reads more like an ethnography than a typical history book. As set forth in the introduction, in which the author describes his childhood pass-time of sitting around campfires listening to the stories of some "ageless viejo," Treasure of the Sangre de Cristos is an attempt to preserve and recreate the storytelling tradition of the Southwest.

The stories are well-researched, and at times the descriptions of the research process are as informative as the tales themselves, demonstrating both the relatively recent nature of what is thought of as the Old West through the eye-witness accounts as well as the drastic changes that have occurred in the information-seeking process since research for this book was completed.

Consistent with the friendly and vernacular aims of the book, Campa's style is clear and conversational. He often refers to himself and his personal experience when applicable, and one tale, entitled "The author becomes involved" is about his own foray into treasure hunting. The story immediately follows an account of the fabled "Jesuit treasure of Bamoa" said to have been buried when Spain ordered the Jesuits out of the area. The author describes his mother's failed efforts at finding the treasure during the Mexican Revolution and how her tales sparked his imagination and led him on a similar search, which also proved unsuccessful. The description of a method of treasure hunting in which a peso dangled on a string was believed to have the ability to point to wealth, which the author compares to "water witches" in Texas and New Mexico was particularly interesting as it helped show the supernatural aura that builds around legendary treasure and also shows a common thread of superstition between old and new Mexico.

Ultimately, most of the treasure-hunters in these tales never found their riches and those who did were unable to keep them or found that the treasure was not what had been anticipated. Even at the time of the writing hordes of Jesuit gold or lost silver mines were becoming more myth than history and now, less than 50 years later, the treasure-hunting era seems as distant and in some ways foolish as the Spanish search for cities of gold.

Treasure of the Sangre de Cristos is one of the better history books I have read from a non-historian's standpoint. Although a few of the early tales in the book seem somewhat redundant as the protagonist finds his treasure only to lose it again when he forgets the way or a cave closes, the books ends very strongly with tales of nonmaterial wealth. The style is simple and clear enough to be suitable for children without being plodding or condescending. The author's understanding of not only the actual subject matter but the historical and cultural context surrounding it is obvious and makes for a very enjoyable and informative read. The book may not be extremely valuable to a serious historian or to someone seeking hard facts, but to a folklorist or anyone interested in a glimpse into the culture and stories of the southwest in the last century Treasure of the Sangre de Cristos could be an invaluable tool.