Zacatecas Silver Announces Agreement to Acquire Multi-Asset Exploration Portfolio from Heliostar Metals, Significantly Expanding Mexican Asset Base
Zacatecas Silver Announces Agreement to Acquire Multi-Asset Exploration Portfolio from Heliostar Metals,
Significantly Expanding Mexican Asset Base
Vancouver, British Columbia – March 2, 2026 – Zacatecas Silver Corp. (“Zacatecas Silver” or the “Company”)
is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding agreement with Heliostar Metals Ltd. (“Heliostar”) to
acquire a 100 percent interest in the Cumaro, La Lola, Oso Negro and Ejutla exploration properties located in
Sonora, and Oaxaca, Mexico (collectively, the “Exploration Portfolio”).
The acquisition establishes a new district-scale exploration platform for the Company in a prolific mining
jurisdiction and adds four high-impact discovery opportunities to Zacatecas Silver’s pipeline. The portfolio
provides near-term drill targeting potential while also offering longer-term strategic value within active and
consolidating mining districts.
Highlights
• Acquisition of high-grade, multi-asset exploration portfolio from Heliostar Metals, significantly
expanding Zacatecas Silver’s Mexican growth platform across premier mining jurisdictions in Sonora
and Oaxaca.
• Oso Negro represents a compelling, undrilled high-grade discovery opportunity, with high-grade gold
and silver across multiple multi-metre vein systems with strong depth potential.
• Cumaro strategically positioned along strike from Coeur Mining’s active El Picacho development,
hosting extensions of proven low-sulphidation epithermal vein systems within a rapidly advancing
district.
• La Lola provides district-scale exposure (1,183 hectares) anchored by a 5 km vein system up to 40
metres wide.
• Ejutla adds a substantial 10,603-hectare land position near the San Jose Mine, formerly owned by
Fortuna Mines, hosting multiple high-level epithermal veins and potential Carlin-style mineralisation,
with strong historical indications of gold-silver mineralization and extremely anomalous pathfinder
elements.
Property Overview
Oso Negro (Sonora, Mexico)
Oso Negro is a high-priority, undrilled exploration opportunity located within a historic mining district
characterized by high-grade precious metal mineralization. Heliostar’s previous channel sampling program
included 5.15 g/t Au and 953 g/t Ag over 1.2m, 2.55 g/t Au and 346 g/t Ag over 1.8m and a grab sample of
13.3 g/t Au and 534 g/t Ag over 0.6m (see news release dated June 3, 2021 of Heliostar), demonstrating a
robust mineralizing system. Significantly, grades are relatively consistent along the strike of the various veins.
The project hosts at least four principal veins with average widths of approximately 3 metres and a number of
subsidiary veins, including the El Sahuaro, El Prospecto, Santa Rosa, Del Monte, Tere and El Manchuri veins.
Veins can be traced along strike over several hundred metres.
Exposed mineralization is of an intermediate sulphidation epithermal style which has been extensively
oxidized at surface. A number of small-scale, artisanal, historical workings and shallow shafts were noted
along the major veins. In addition to strong silver and gold values, the presence of visible sphalerite and
galena in rock-chip samples, indicates multi-metal potential typical of this deposit style. Intermediate
sulphidation epithermal deposits are an important source of gold, silver and base-metal sulphides in Mexico,
and well understood, and typically have depth extensions of between 500 to 1000 m, making for exceptional
exploration targets.
Zacatecas plans to commence an aggressive sampling and mapping program in March of 2026. The property
is held by private landowners thus streamlining access agreements.
Figure 1. A) and B) Vein outcrops along Oso Negro Property. B) 150 m outcrop of quartz vein with 1.5 m wide.
Figure 2. A) Quartz vein outcrop at Oso Negro property. B) and C) quartz textures from shallow levels of the
epithermal system. B) crustiform texture C) boxwork texture.
Figure 3. View to the southeast along the Los Fresnos Vein. The vein is up to 3 m wide and is well defined over
100’s of metres of strike length.
Cumaro (Sonora, Mexico)
The Cumaro project combines exploration upside with meaningful strategic positioning. The five square
kilometre claim lies along trend from Coeur Mining’s El Picacho property, where active satellite mine
development and drilling programs are underway. This activity by Couer Mining underscores the prospectivity
of the district and enhances the strategic context of the asset. Cumaro hosts extensions of the El Picacho, Dos
Amigos, and Basaitegui vein systems.
Mineralization is of a multiphase, low sulphidation epithermal type characterised by quartz veins formed
within normal fault structures. Vein widths are typically between 1.5 to 3 metres and are associated with
localized surface gold anomalies. Highlights of previous channel sampling program included 11.9 g/t Au and
130 g/t Ag over 1.65m and 11.5 g/t Au and 125 g/t Ag over 1.75 m, and 10.3 g/t Au and 158 g/t Ag over 5.0 m
(see news release dated September 28, 2021 from Heliostar).
A shallow 11 hole diamond drill program by Heliostar focused primarily on the Verde vein. Site observations
by the Company indicate that portions of the claim exhibiting strong alteration and quartz veining which has
never been drill tested. Quartz textures, alteration assemblages and gangue mineralogy indicate erosion of
the uppermost portions of a low sulphidation epithermal system, strongly indicating preservation boiling
zones and deeper parts of the epithermal system.
The Company plans an aggressive field mapping and sampling program, planned to commence immediately
following first pass reconnaissance of the Oso Negro concession. A number of small artisanal adits are present
on the property.
Figure 3. A) Strong argillic alteration and oxidation at central part of Cumaro property. B) Multiphase,
brecciated and oxidized quartz vein outcrop at Cumaro property, surrounding alteration zone.
Figure 4. Old mining works at Cumaro property.
La Lola (Sonora, Mexico)
La Lola comprises nine concessions totaling approximately 1,183 hectares and provides district-scale exposure
within a productive mining region of northern Sonora.
The property hosts multiple historical veins, shafts, and alteration zones, confirming the presence of a large
epithermal system. The surrounding region includes several producing and advanced-stage projects, including
Bear Creek Mining’s Mercedes Mine, First Majestic Silver’s Santa Elena Mine, Coeur Mining’s Las Chispas
deposit, Silver Tiger Metals’ El Tigre project, and Grupo Mexico’s La Caridad Mine. Mineralization on these
projects are not necessarily indicative of mineralization at La Lola.
The most prominent structure on the property is the La Barra vein, a five kilometre long quartz carbonate
fluorite vein that reaches up to 40 metres in width in outcrop and displays quartz vein textures, alteration
assemblages and gangue mineralogy consistent with the uppermost parts of a low sulphidation epithermal
system and thus preservation of the entire low sulphidation system at depth.
Historical rock-chip grab sampling demonstrates the system has the potential to host high grade gold and
silver mineralization. Historical small-scale mining activity primarily on near-surface fluorite extraction.
Several additional vein zones have been identified but remain underexplored and represent further discovery
potential.
La Lola is a large and under-explored system, that will be the focus of an aggressive first pass rock-chip
sampling and mapping program.
Figure 5. A) Quartz-fluorite vein. B) Old mining works at La Lola.
Ejutla (Oaxaca, Mexico)
The Ejutla project comprises 10,603-hectares within the prolifically mineralized Oaxaca region of southern
Mexico. The region has a diverse metallogenic history and ore depsoit types. Ejutal occurs within the Taviche-
Miahuatlán region of Central Oaxaca which hosts numerous precious and base metal epithermal and skarn
deposits and has a long history of mining.
The property is located approximately 20 km to the east of the San José-Trinidad mine (formerly owned by
Fortuna and 25 km to the west Gold Resources' El Águila mine. Limited exploration has defined several,
structurally-controlled vein systems, that are highly anomalous in gold-and silver. Limited historical channel
sampling returned peak assays that included 0.412 g/to Au and 701 g/t Ag over 0.6m, 0.013 g/t Au and 664
g/t Ag over a 5m interval and 1.26 g/t Au and 14 g/t Ag over 1.8m interval (see news release dated June 2,
2014 of Newstrike Capital Inc.). Anomalous gold mineralization is also associated with altered and variably
silicified limestones.A number of small scale artesenal pits and shafts are present on the property.
Historical exploration assays were notable for very high arsenic and antimony values, and modeately high
mercury values (see technical report filed by Newstrike Capital Inc. on September 26, 2014 on SEDAR+). These
presence and grades of these path-finder elements is characteristic of the highest levels of low sulphidation
epithermal vein systems, and occur above precious metal intervals, at the top of the system. The pathfinder
mineralogy is also cossitent with Carlin style mineralization, which in conjuction with gold-anomalous, altered
and variably silicified limestones, strongly indicates that Carlin mineralization is a valid target type on the
proeprty.
Given the very high level signature of pathfinder geochemistry and vein textures, extensive veins and areas of
altered limestone, highly anomalous gold and silver grades, and the fact that the concession is largely
unexplored, confirms that Ejutla is a high priority exploration project wich clear indications of potential to
host significant low sulphidation epithermal and/or Carlin style precious metal mineralization.
Figure 6. One of several high-level epithermal quartz veins on the property, all of which are largely unsampled
and have never been drill tested.