by Kathy Weiser-Alexander Long before the white man came to the United States, the legend of La Caverna del Oro, the Cave of Gold, was passed down from generation to generation by the Native Americans. When the Spanish explorers arrived in the 15th century, monks translated the legend and the storied gold was eagerly sought by the explorers. Caverna del Oro, 11,500 feet up Marble Mountain, in the Sangre de Cristo range, was believed by the Native Americans to be plagued by demons. However, in 1541, three Spanish monks from the Coronado expedition forced the natives into slave labor to ...