The Under Water Cave
Five years ago we spoke with the property owner, and we discussed the importance of this underwater cave. He told us that this pond was not formed naturally, but that the Aztec's had dug out the dirt and tunneled anywhere from 750 to 900 feet into the side of the cliff. A water trap was fashioned and the inhabitants of the area placed their valuables inside. The owner explained to us that several sets of divers tried to reach the end of the under water tunnel only to return unsuccessfully and that they were covered in soot. The soot covering the walls of the tunnel was the result of the large bonfires made by the inhabitants in order to super-heat the rock; once the rock was hot, water was thrown onto the rock causing it to crack and fall apart. The tunnel has little branches protruding from it, taking on, what he described as a menorah shape, each connecting branch leading to a room containing it's own type of treasure.
Shortly after discovering what he really had, the owner also tried draining the lake. He soon found out that this would not work for two reasons. One, the lake is fed by an underground spring and two, while he was attempting to drain the lake, he discovered that his pond was considered to be protected habitat for the amber snail. So, needless to say, that stopped there. However, there in lies more evidence that the Aztec's were here. He told us that to the Aztec's, the snail, was a protector of sorts. So along with the treasure they brought the Amber Snail in order to guard their valuables. Well, it has done exactly that. The evidence lies in this picture of Aztec art, found at the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington DC.
The gold artifact is their interpretation of a snail and looking at a picture of the Amber Snail you have to admit that there are similarities.
The Divers
According to this person, different groups of divers attempted to access the subterranean tunnel through the lake, however, every one of the divers returned without success and were thereafter unwilling to go back down. Three divers in one group experienced what they described as, "ghosts or spirits", choking them. Not only did they experience things of a supernatural nature but they also encountered lots of problems with their equipment....keep in mind that these were professional divers who knew what they were doing, the fact that they experienced so much trouble with their equipment was very strange and difficult to explain. Two other groups, one from the University of Utah and another private party also attempted to enter the tunnel. Eventually one diver did make it back to the end of the tunnel...he reported it as being a very long tunnel but that it came to a dead end of what seemed to be solid rock. Soon after, it was decided that it was useless to try to gain entrance through the mouth of the tunnel. Instead, he approached the issue by drilling from on top of the cliff. A small air drill was used to probe around the area. This is when he discovered that there may be many rooms. He hired a man that brought in a big drill rig and proceeded to drill a hole large enough to send someone down through. A few strange things happened at this point. The main shaft that they were drilling was down about 75 feet when the forward progress stopped. They changed over to a heavier steel bit, but no matter how hard they tried they were unable to proceed any further. Thereafter they tried drilling smaller shafts and eventually succeeded in puncturing what they thought to be a room...the reason is because, suddenly the dirt and debris that is generally blown back up the hole stopped coming out and after a few minutes they noticed lots of air bubbles and mud coming up in the pond. They discovered that they had punctured and subsequently pressurized a room causing it to communicate out through the main subterranean tunnel and out into the pond. They theorized that there were several smaller tunnels or branches that led off of the main tunnel and that the entrances to these smaller tunnels had been sealed off and for this reason the divers never noticed them when they were diving the main subterranean shaft. There were also some peculiar happenings during this time and the driller who was contracted to conduct the drilling died soon after starting. The driller's wife also passed away soon after...although both died of natural causes it still seemed a little strange. According to the owner, no further advances to extract anything from the property are going to happen. He said,"We've exhausted every way possible, to take the stuff out and it's impossible; Its protected!" He has since died and the family seems to have transformed the area into a recreational piece of sorts. So the story goes on and the truth still unknown.
The Altars
This is one of the five man made altars lining a 75 foot cliff, near the pond. The altars overlook a valley floor, where celebrations could have been held.
This key symbol, spoon or water glyph, however you want to call it, was found on a outcropping of rock above the canyon floor. Similar symbols are found all over the four corners region. Some say that it points to water sources, (which in those times would be the most important item to be able to locate), others say that they lead to treasure. This particular key points directly at a large natural spring. You may want to check out www.waterglyphs.org
The Yoke
This yoke looking glyph was found, by a BYU Professor, about 100 feet from the pond. He stated that the yoke was a symbol for Yahweh, a modern transliteration of the Hebrew word Jehovah; used by some critics to discriminate the tribal god of the ancient Hebrews from the Christian Jehovah. A yoke is a general symbol of oppressive toil or subservience to another. When Jesus used the word, however, he pointed out the joyous benefit of serving Him that far outweighs any hardship suffered in humble self-sacrifice. In my own opinion and that of a few others, we believe that this may be a sign that the Aztecs felt that they were doing the work called of them by their God. However, the owner did state that he thought that this land was also inhabited by many other forebears, so this glyph may predate the Aztecs.
Note: After doing more research we have found that many Ancient Indians eched a yoke above the graves of loved ones, in order to facilitate their journey to the underworld.