The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

DryerLintFan

Premium Member
I get to supply Deviled Eggs, which somehow has become my alleged specialty. I also was assigned the task of making a Pumpkin Pie. By making, I'm sure they meant buy one from Walmart along with a bowl of Cool Whip. I haven't put together the eggs yet, but, the pie is ready to go.

The best store bought pumpkin pie is from Costco!! Plus it's $6 and large enough to feed an army!
 

Cesar R M

Well-Known Member
Part 5!

After visiting the Basaltic Prisms.

We were moved onto a nearby Hacienda (now hotel and for events).

This Ex Hacienda, was a mining Hacienda dating back to the first Spanish conquistadores looking for gold and silver.

It was built in a perfect place, flanked on both sides by huge cliffs, constant water and surrounded by nearby native towns and full of nearby rich mines.
The Spanish pretty much enslaved the nearby citizens to build the Ex Hacienda and work on melting and cleaning the ore in gruesome conditions for 300+years until the Silver ran out. Changing hands from the Spanish to the English until its closure and reconstruction as a Hotel.

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The Hacienda is PRETTY BIG.
Id say its around the size of 2 football stadiums.

It was surrounded by BIG cliffs and surrounded by tall walls who were once topped by very sharp obsidian stone to prevent the slaves and "workers" from leaving the place.
The guides report that this hacienda is heavily haunted.
Particularly of the ghosts of the Foreman and the Owner's daughter. Both who were murdered in horrible ways by the owner when he found they were dating.
The foreman was supposedly cut to pieces and thrown into the river after displaying his rests to the workers and slaves.
And the Daughter was then killed in the Hacienda's parish.

The hacienda has also a split personality.
In one side there are technology from England that was used to melt the metals. Including the chimneys, the specified kind of ovens and its melting techniques.

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Only 2 of the 4 original Chimneys remain.

Then you could use a very narrow stair to go down, where you could see the place where the fire was fueled. And behind that area, the "watching" zone where a small glass window let the "workers" manage the melting of the metals.

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This photo shows the exact area below the Chimneys. Where they contained the "window" and the "bell" like metal cage that was used to melt the precious metals. Accidents were usual and alot of the workers ended blind or heavily burned.

Now a curius thing.
The Ex hacienda is FULL of tunnels, some were for utilities, and general work for the workers and the engineers.
Most of them literally lived underground and worked underground.. There was no sunlight in the lower areas.
Most of the lightning was by candles or oil based lamps.

Another interesting part is, this Hacienda was used to film the movie EL ZORRO.
Particularly the part where Antonio Banderas is trained by Anthony Hopkins to be "the new zorro".

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Photos of the lower areas, including the Catacombs and Prison for unruly workers/slaves. And the waterworks.

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This place is PITCH DARK. And the artificial lightning was turned of (off season).
So we had to use torches and our cellphones to navigate.
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The Parish/Church.

Exiting the tunnels, you get into the main courtyard (now events zone for weddings, conventions..etc..)
But most of this area and its water ways were used to clean and separate the ORE's precious metals using deadly chemicals.

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The Above photo shows the main ore separation shafts.
Below each "fountain" waterfall, there is a hole around 1.5 meters deep.. with a stone. The turbulent water and the usage of chemicals(mercury and later cyanide). Separated the precious metals from the bare Ore.
Kids and Women had to work long hours pushing all the precious metals they could find. in neck deep water full of poison.
They would easily lose a hand , get ill, get blind, etc.. when accidents happened thanks to the turbulent waters and the system of recollection.

Continuing tomorrow To dont flood the thread...
 

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