Leon Trabuco Gold

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Leon Trabuco Gold

Lost Treasure NM • Doña Ana County County
Description
1930s legend of Mexican millionaire Leon Trabuco and partners who smuggled Mexican gold into the U.S. before the 1934 Gold Reserve Act, allegedly burying 17 tons near the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico.
Historical Notes
As the U.S. prepared to outlaw private gold ownership in 1933–34, Trabuco and four partners reportedly smuggled Mexican gold across the border and buried it in the desert, planning to sell after prices rose. One partner was killed; Trabuco died without revealing the spot. Treasure hunters have searched the Rio Grande valley and borderlands of southern New Mexico for decades. Featured on Unsolved Mysteries. No hoard has been authenticated. Coordinates approximate the southern Rio Grande valley / Jornada del Muerto border region. Exact burial site unknown.
Status / Verification legend — Legendary or approximate

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