ODDS’N’SODS — The Mexican adventure: properties and partners

The author, who while working in Alaska decided one winter to try his luck in Mexico, continues the story of his prospecting adventure in the mining state of Sonora.

Now events entered a most trying stage. One day a pickup truck appeared with two geologists from Arizona. They were no doubt interested in the area and well-informed. They asked where we intended to set up the heap-leach plant.

There followed a call from the Mexican mining company, which inquired as to our interest in making a deal on the older solicitation (property bid). Meanwhile, the excessive heat of the Mexican summer forced my partner to return to the cooler clime of Alaska, thereby bringing a temporary halt to our exploration.

Next I learned that our Mexican business partner and title-holder was being sued for trespassing on the property of the old solicitation — this, despite the fact that two payments had been made under our agreement, with a third cheque in hand.

The vendor/plaintiff, as it turned out, wanted cash rather than a cheque; he had also made a deal on the property with the Mexican mining company. I summoned my young partner back from Alaska to assist in unraveling the situation. We agreed to file papers to counter the legal suit, and then went out to check the property. We were astounded to discover the geologists from Arizona mapping the area and claiming title to the mineral showings. We immediately accosted the vendor and found him willing and prepared to enter a legal battle with us over the status of the property and our agreement. Our investigation revealed further that he had sold the property to the Mexican mining company several weeks before our third payment was due. We were now in deep turmoil because we had made a substantial payment in American dollars to our Mexican lawyer, and he was making no apparent progress in resolving the issue of the status of our agreement. While all of this was going on, the Arizona group, working through a revamped company on the Vancouver Stock Exchange, was exploiting its venture with glowing press releases, none of which dealt with the specific details of the zone.

The Arizona group did not reply to our registered letters but continued with active drill programs on the area.

The final straw came when we learned that our Mexican lawyer was in jail — he was involved in the bribery of a judge in another legal case. To make a long story short, our venture finally emerged, with several valid titles covering a half-dozen favorable showings of copper on which we were forced to pay a ransom in back taxes owing.

For my part, and in spite of my faith in the properties, I resigned my position as a director of the syndicate because of the haggling over a meagre cash payout on the one section containing 14 million tons and grading 0.54% copper.

As for Mexico, I enjoyed a little tequila and earned a deep appreciation and respect for the “hill people” of the country. In fact, regarding mineral exploration and development, I am spending more time with these hill people in southern Mexico.

A kind and elderly lady who runs another of those “7-Eleven” stores near a mountain top gave us a bed and fed us what she had in the kitchen. She ground some maize for the tortillas and boiled some frijoles (beans). When we had finished our business with the village elders, topped off by a drink of mezcal with the appropriate “salud,” she said: “If, when you go back down there to the lowlands, you see a chicken, wring its neck and bring it back up here.”

We plan to go back, with the chicken, which will go well with the tortillas, frijoles and mezcal.

— The author is a geological engineer in Vancouver, B.C.