7/29/25 Report - Inca Tunnel of Gold under Cuzco Church. Detected Old Flat Buttons. More on AI. Space Collectibles.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

The Church and Convent of Santo Domingo del Cuzco

Anselm opened the trapdoor with his companions and descended down a set of stairs to a colonial crypt. There they noticed an opening that was partially covered with bricks. When Anselm asked the priest what it was, the prior said, “That’s Chinkana”—the lost city no one had publicly discovered and perhaps the greatest discovery since Machu Picchu...

Mummified Incan emperors are beneath what was the most sacred place in the empire. For when the Indians got wind of Spanish explorers, they took their most important artifacts into a tunnel beneath the temple.

“This tunnel runs for one mile,” notes explorer Timothy Alberino (in a Shawn Ryan podcast)–to other secret tunnels and repositories that span the city and course by or under other Catholic edifices.

The Spaniards never learned about the tunnels and galleries—the “Chinkana.”

Life-sized figurines in gold...

Here is the link for more of that story.

An Amazing Church | Spirit Daily Blog

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Previously in 2025, I reported on a couple metal detected old flat buttons.  Here are some more.

Backs and Fronts of Old Flat Buttons I've Detected.

Here are some flat buttons I've found over the years.  About half are from Treasure Coast beaches.  The last one I found was from West Viriginia earlier this year.

Only a couple have decorative markings on the front.  More have back marks, which I'll mention going left to right, one to three, and then down the rows, one to three.

Row 1.  1. FINE TREBLE GILT.  2. Words and decorations but I can't read it.  3. Can't see words.

Row 2.  1. .PLATED.  2. STANDARD & ???  3. Nothing.

Row 3.  1. STANDARD COLOUR TREBLE GILT.  2. PLATED.

A flat button not shown in this group but shown in my 7/13/25 post simply reads ORANGE.

The domed and two-piece old buttons I've found are not included in this group.  I'm surprised I found that many since I've only a couple times hunted a battlefield (Pigeon Island).

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I'm finding AI to be a useful research resource that can often save time.  Here are some that you might check out.  I've tried ChatGPT, Copilot, and Grok.  And the fact that I've tried them tells you that they are free.

Copilot is from Microsoft Copilot.  ChatGPT was made by OpenAI.  And Grok was made by xAI, a Musk product.  

They all use large language models to understand and generate text, but were created independently, and have different personalities, strengths, and styles.  Copilot seems like a chatty girlfriend that tries too hard to ingratiate or charm you.  Gives a kind of superficial feeling like you might expect of a robot. Grok seems more matter of fact. 

As useful and time saving as they might be, I'm not sure how much of your interaction might be siphoned up and used in ways you might not expect.  I've received incorrect answers at times.  They are gathering the information that is out there and available, but which might take you longer to find using other methods.  

I previously reported on how Mark G. used AI to prepare for a metal detecting trip.  Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond). : 1/31/25 Report - How Metal Detectorists Can Use Artificial Intelligence (AI): Promise and Hype.  AI provided a lot of good information, including sites to visit, times to visit, tides, and other facts and suggestions..

I don't know what they'll do with user input.  You might want to consider that. In general, user input is a highly valued and monetized product on the internet.

In summary, I do recommend exploring how you might be able to use AI.  It can provide good concise information to well-constructed queries that otherwise would take longer to find. 

I'm sure I'll have more specific applications of AI in future posts.

Microsoft Bing suggests several sources of possible error or bias in AI models included biases embedded in the training data and biases present in the AI training team.  All information requires validation or confirmation, including that produced by AI.

In any case, AI will definitely become a greater part of your life in one way or another.  There is also much written or discussed concerning possible negative or even apocalyptic scenarios.

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Sally Ride’s Robbins Medals, NASA Mementos Bring $145K at Auction

America’s first woman in space remains a trailblazer as her historic estate sells for $145,666, led by Robbins medals from her personal collection...

Here is the link for more about that.

Sally Ride’s Robbins Medals, NASA Mementos Bring $145K at Auction - Numismatic News

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In the future I'll have more on AI as well as some other internet research tools.

There has been no big change in the Treasure Coast surf or beach conditions. Also no significant tropical development yet.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

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