Aztec Minerals Corp. announced that it continues to intersect broad, high grade, gold mineralization in the 2022 RC drill program at the California target on the Cervantes property located in Sonora, Mexico. Results for hole CAL22-004 returned 167.2 metres grading 1.002 gpt Au including 24.4 metres grading 4.247 gpt Au. The primary focus of the Phase 2 RC drill program at Cervantes is to expand the previously drilled California zone by completing two drill hole fences parallel to and on either side of the 2017-18 Phase 1 drill hole fence. To-date, every hole drilled at California has intersected near surface, oxidized gold mineralization with minor copper oxides. Holes CAL22-002 and 003 intersected extensive gold mineralization, see table below, extending the known mineralized zone at depth and to the north, west, and CAL22-004 to the south. The RC Phase 2 drilling program has been completed. It covers an area now measuring approximately 900 metres long by 250 to 500 metres wide, with demonstrated, continuous mineralization up to 265 metres depth vertically. The porphyry gold-copper mineralization is still open in all directions. The Aztec-Kootenay JV has now completed its Phase 2 Reverse circulation (RC) program of 26 holes, totaling 4,649 metres at the Cervantes Property. Drilling commenced in December 2021. The first four RC drill holes were completed to test the previously undrilled Purisima East target, where high grade gold mineralization was sampled in a glory hole along the southern margin of a small felsic intrusion with coincident geochemical and geophysical anomalies. Preliminary gold assays in these four holes exhibit anomalous but sub-economic gold grades. The single drill holes at Jasper and California North found mineralized quartz feldspar porphyry with results pending. The planned drill testing of the four main targets of the Cervantes phase 2 drilling program is complete. The primary objectives of the 2021 ­ 2022 phase 2 exploration program was to better define the open pit, heap leach gold potential of the porphyry oxide cap at California, evaluate the potential for deeper copper-gold porphyry sulfide mineralization underlying the oxide cap, test for north and west extensions
of the California mineralization at California North and Jasper, and assess the breccia potential of Purisima East. Drill samples cuttings are collected every 5 feet (1.52m) from all drill holes. The samples are analyzed by Bureau Veritas for gold with a 30-gram sample size using the method FA430 followed by MA300. Over limits, when present, are analyzed by AR404 or FA550. All holes contain certified blanks, standards, and duplicates as part of the quality control program. The QA/QC has delivered excellent results to date good data integrity. The samples are shipped to and received by Bureau Veritas Minerals laboratory for the gold and multielement geochemical analysis and additional gold results will be received and reported in the next several weeks. Final multielement ICP results are expected to follow the release of the preliminary gold assays and are expected to be received during the second quarter 2022. Aztec will now carry out channel sampling and geologic mapping of the new drill roads at California, California Norte and Jasper, as well as to expand surface sampling and mapping on the property in general to continue the 2021 phase 1 surface program.