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Simon Dyakowski, President and CEO, Aztec Minerals Corp. (AZT: TSX-V, OTCQB: AZZTF) Discusses Its Prospective Cervantes Porphyry Gold-Copper Property, Sonora, Mexico and District-Scale, Tombstone, Arizona properties

on 1/6/2022
We spoke with Simon Dyakowski, President and CEO of Aztec Minerals Corp. (AZT: TSX-V, OTCQB: AZZTF), a mineral exploration company, focused on the discovery of large polymetallic mineral deposits, in the Americas. Aztec's core asset is the prospective Cervantes porphyry gold-copper property, in Sonora, Mexico. The historic, district-scale, Tombstone properties host both bulk tonnage, epithermal gold-silver, as well as CRD silver-lead-zinc mineralization, in Cochise County, Arizona. In 2021, Aztec was focused on RC drilling, at their Tombstone project and recently released results show multiple, shallow, thick, oxidized gold-silver intercepts, in expanded mineralized zones, around and below the Contention Pit, still open in all directions. The Aztec Kootenay JV has just commenced a 22-hole, 5000-meter RC drill program, at Cervantes Gold-Copper Project, Sonora, Mexico.


Aztec Minerals Corp.


Dr. Allen Alper: This is Dr. Allen Alper, Editor-in-Chief of Metals News, talking with Simon Dyakowski, President and CEO of Aztec Minerals Corp. Simon, first I'd like you to give us an overview of your Company. Tell us what differentiates it and then tell us the exciting things that have been happening, in the past year, with the Tombstone and the Cervantes properties?

Simon Dyakowski:Aztec is a TSX Venture-listed exploration Company, focused on two projects at the moment. One of them is in Sonora, Mexico, and the other project is in southeastern Arizona. The Company's overall focus is on making discoveries of large gold and silver and polymetallic mineral deposits, and we're focused on North America. The Company is led by an experienced Board and Management Team, with a proven track record of creating value, throughout the exploration cycle of discovery, development, and production.

In terms of our two projects, our project, in Mexico, is known as Cervantes. It's a gold-copper-porphyry project in Sonora, Mexico, and it's located in the vicinity of very well-known gold and copper mines. Our project, in Arizona, is the Tombstone Epithermal gold and silver project. It's the old Tombstone Silver District, and we have a CRD silver-lead-zinc target, as well, at that property.



Over the past year, we've been drilling at the Tombstone Project, and we've had a very successful drill program there. Recently, we highlighted a summary of the summer drill program that we undertook at Tombstone. The summary highlighted that we hit multiple shallow, thick and oxidized gold/silver intercepts and we expanded a mineralized zone, around and below the past-producing Contention Pit, which is on our property. The project is still open in all directions.

Also we recently announced the commencement of a Phase two RC drilling program, at our Cervantes Gold Copper Project, in Mexico, that is currently being drilled in the first quarter of 2022.





Dr. Allen Alper: Well, those are great accomplishments in the past year! Even more so since it has been a difficult year to operate. I'm very impressed, with what you and your Team have accomplished!

Simon Dyakowski: Thank you. Yeah, it's been a very busy year. We’ve expanded the mineralized zone at Tombstone. We've had some of the best drill results, out of the Companies operating in the southwest U.S. Just to recap some of the highlight drill holes that we had: in July, we announced a drill intersection of 32 meters of 5.71 grams per ton gold, and 40.5 grams, per ton, silver. Later in July, we announced another highlight hole, which was 96 meters of 1.4 grams, per ton gold and 56.4 grams, per ton silver.



Later in September, we announced 70 meters of 1.8 grams per ton gold and 36.9 grams per ton silver. We followed that up with another hole that hit 64 meters of 1.73 grams per ton gold and 56.2 grams per ton silver. Finally, in September, we announced one of the best holes that we've drilled on the property 65.5 meters of 2.44 grams per ton gold and 66.56 grams per ton silver.

This hole bottomed in high grade mineralization of 7.6 meters of 16.8 grams per ton gold and 374 grams per ton silver. We hit some exceptional grades in a heap leach setting and have greatly expanded the mineralized zone at the contention pit and look forward to going back to drill next year in 2022 with a diamond drill.



Dr. Allen Alper: Well, that's excellent, those are great accomplishments and great discoveries. Where you are operating is in Elephant Country. Is that correct?

Simon Dyakowski: That's correct! We're focused on making discoveries of large ore bodies. We do this because the exploration model, in today's market, is one where major companies are experts at mining operations, but they leave the bulk of the discovery work to the junior companies. Most of the expertise, in making discoveries, now resides within junior exploration companies. And when a large discovery is made, that has the potential to impact the needs of a major mining company, and junior shareholders can be rewarded with large gains.

To make those discoveries, you need to have an experienced Board and Management Team. And our Board and Management Team have decades of experience in making discoveries, developing mining projects and selling companies and assets. We're led by our Chairman, Mr. Bradford Cooke, who's also Chairman of Endeavor Silver and Canagold Resources. He has had a long career of success in the mining industry.

Our VP of Exploration has 40 years of experience, in the mining industry, and he has played a key role in the discovery and evaluation of more than 30 million ounces of gold, 25 million tons of copper, focused on elephant projects in the Americas. On our Board, we also have Mark Rebagliati, who's managed several major porphyry discoveries, for the Hunter Dickinson Group, and he's recently been inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. Another very well-known geologist, on our property, is Mr. Patricio Varas, who's a geologist, who discovered and sold companies in the past as well. We have a great Team to lead us through to these discoveries.



Dr. Allen Alper: It is a great Team, with great experience! And you yourself have excellent experience in capital markets and corporate development. Could you say a couple of words about that?

Simon Dyakowski: My experience resides, within the realm of capital markets and corporate development. I cut my teeth, as a broker, working on junior exploration companies, financing them, and I've worked in the corporate finance office, of various investment dealers, in the past. Now I'm working on Aztec, raising money, and getting the story out and running the Company here.

Dr. Allen Alper: Well, you have an excellent background! You have a great Team and Board! Really outstanding! Very well balanced, very experienced and a great track record of success! Could you tell our readers/investors a little bit about your share and capital structure?

Simon Dyakowski: We currently have 65 million shares outstanding, approximately 5.7 million options and 13.2 million warrants, for a fully diluted share count, just shy of 84 million shares. Our market capitalization is about $20 million Canadian, and we have $1.6 million in working capital, as of our last stated financials. Insiders own about 15% of the Company, and our closely held group of shareholders, holds another 20% of the Company. So, we have a well-structured Company, given how far we've advanced these two projects to date.



Dr. Allen Alper: Well, it's great to see that Management and the Board have skin in the game, and it will benefit your shareholders.

Simon Dyakowski: Absolutely, it's important to have alignment between Management, the Board, and the shareholders.

Dr. Allen Alper: That's excellent! Could you explain why our readers/investors should consider investing in Aztec Minerals?

Simon Dyakowski: I have six highlights to point out. Aztec is managed by an experienced Team with a successful track record, in discovering ore bodies, operating mines, and selling companies. We have an attractive valuation of around $20 million Canadian market cap, with about 35% of our shares closely held. We have two prospective projects: Cervantes in Sonora, Mexico, and Tombstone in southeastern Arizona.

We've recently drilled discoveries, following up on the bulk tonnage, gold-silver discovery at Tombstone, around the Contention Pit, and that project is wide open for expansion. We're about to start drilling our porphyry gold-copper discovery, on the Cervantes project. It’s also wide open for expansion. Later next year, we'll be drilling for prospective CRD polymetallic mineralization at Tombstone, which could be similar to the Taylor Discovery, made about 60 kilometers southwest of Tombstone, back in 2015.



Dr. Allen Alper: Well, those are both excellent projects. They are very large, in great locations and you have a great Team to carry them out and direct them. And both of those projects, I would think are prospective, joint venture projects. Is that correct?

Simon Dyakowski: Yeah, correct. They're both in joint ventures, so we operate both of the joint ventures we own 75% of Tombstone and 65% of Cervantes.

Dr. Allen Alper: Well, that's excellent. Simon, is there anything else you'd like to add?

Simon Dyakowski: I just want to thank you for the opportunity to discuss Aztec with you today. I would point out that we have exciting news coming out, over the next two quarters and most notably our drill program, Cervantes is a large one. It's 5,000 meters of drilling. We will test multiple targets, and we'll have updates on that project out, over the next few weeks and months.

Dr. Allen Alper: Well, that sounds excellent! Sounds like it would be an exciting time for your shareholders and stakeholders, as you drill and as you make more and more discoveries. We’ll publish your press releases as they come out so our readers/investors can follow your progress.

http://aztecminerals.com/


Simon Dyakowski, CEO or Bradford Cooke, Chairman
Tel: (604) 619-7469
Fax: (604) 685-9744
Email: simon@aztecminerals.com










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