Vancouver - Aztec Minerals Corp. (AZT: TSX-V, OTCQB: AZZTF) and Kootenay Silver Inc. ('JV') announce that reverse circulation ('RC') drilling has commenced at the Cervantes porphyry gold-copper property in Sonora, Mexico.

The JV plans to drill a 22 hole, 5,000 m reverse circulation drill program over the next three months to test four main targets.

View: Cervantes Proposed Phase 2 RC Drilling Plan

At the California target, where Aztec previously discovered extensive oxide porphyry gold-copper mineralization (drill intercepts up to 0.77 gpt gold over 160m), the JV will drill 14 infill and step-out holes at a 50m spacing to expand and better define the area of mineralization, followed by two 500m deep holes to test the depth extent of the strong IP chargeability anomaly

At the California North prospect, one hole will test the coincident IP chargeability and gold-copper-molybdenum soil geochemical anomaly

At the Jasper prospect, one hole will test the outcropping copper mineralization and copper-molybdenum soil geochemical anomaly

At the Purisima East target, six holes will test the high grade gold mineralization in the Glory Hole mine working area and coincident IP chargeability and gold-copper-molybdenum soil geochemical anomaly within a breccia along the rim of a brecciated QFP porphyry intrusion

The primary objectives of the drilling program are to better define the near surface, oxide gold potential of the porphyry gold 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.

Cervantes Project Overview

Cervantes is a highly prospective porphyry gold-copper-molybdenum property located in southeastern Sonora state, Mexico. The project lies 160 km east of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico within the famous Laramide porphyry copper belt approximately 265 km southeast of the Cananea porphyry copper-molybdenum mine (Grupo Mexico).

Cervantes also lies along an east-west trending gold belt 60 km west of the Mulatos epithermal gold mine (Alamos Gold), 45 km west of the La India mine (Agnico Eagle), and 40 km northwest of Santana gold deposit (Minera Alamos). View: Cervantes Project Location Map

Large well-located property (3,649 hectares) with good infrastructure, road access, local town, all private land, water wells on property, power grid nearby

Seven prospective mineralized zones related to high level porphyries and breccias along an 7.0 km east-northeast corridor with multiple intersecting northwest structures

Distinct geophysical anomalies, California target marked by high magnetic and low resistivity anomalies, high radiometric and chargeability anomalies responding to pervasive alteration

Extensive gold mineralization at California zone, 118 soil samples average 0.44 gpt gold over 900 m by 600 m area, trench rock-channel samples up to 0.47 gpt gold over 222m

Already drilled the first discovery hole at the California zone, intersected gold oxide cap to a classic gold-copper porphyry deposit, drill results up to 0.77 gpt gold over 160 m

Excellent gold recoveries from preliminary metallurgical tests on drill core from California zone; oxide gold recoveries in bottle roll tests range from 75% to 87%

California geophysical anomaly wide open laterally and at depth, IP chargeability strengthens and broadens to >500m depth over an area 1100 m by 1200 m

Three-Dimensional IP Survey conducted in 2019 extends strong chargeability anomalies to the southwest covering Estrella, Purisima East, and Purisima West, coinciding well with alteration and Au-Cu-Mo soil geochemical anomalies, all undrilled.

About Aztec Minerals

Aztec is a mineral exploration company focused on the discovery of large polymetallic mineral deposits in the Americas. Our 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. Aztec's shares trade on the TSX-V stock exchange (symbol AZT) and on the OTCQB (symbol AZZTF).

Contact:

Simon Dyakowski

Tel: (604) 619-7469

Fax: (604) 685-9744

Email: simon@aztecminerals.com

Web: www.aztecminerals.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'expects' or 'it is expected', or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results 'will' occur. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from results contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

Accordingly, the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

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