Road-map to the Indian's treasureOn the Chilean meteorite Vaca Muerta and its early mistake for silveraf Holger Pedersen

In its type, mesosiderite, the Chilean meteorite Vaca Muerta, is - by a wide margin - the largest ever found. This became clear to the author, when he first visited the fall-area in 1987. The book describes the conditions of find, illustrated by numerous color photographs. It also gives an account of several instances where the meteorite was mistaken for silver. One of these cases appears to involve a member of the local indigenous group, the Changos. The man, Rafael Aracena, revealed his knowledge of a rich silver-mine during a criminal trial raised against him, in 1840 - a trial that led to his conviction for murder, and subsequent execution by gunshot. While initial searches for his silver-ore were futile, it can be argued, that what he had found was indeed treasure, albeit of another kind: meteorites from cosmos.