Last week I was researching the Peralta Stones for a storytelling program on the search for gold in Arizona. Popular sources tout these stones as a treasure map to the Superstition Mountains. However scholars question their authenticity for a wide range of reasons. Some geologists say the idea of gold ore in the area is completely bogus. Another question relates to the use of the prominent heart shape on one of the stones. My mind linked the finding of gold to the heart shape/love symbol in the Peralta Stones. The heart symbol has been associated with love at least since the Middle Ages. And we all know stories about pots of gold. Folktales about dreamers who seek treasure abroad but find it at home have their own specific type – 1648. So are the stones really a map telling us we are looking for love in all the wrong places?! Happy Valentine’s Day!
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