Aztec Minerals Corp. announced that the second batch of assay results the 2024 surface exploration program has significantly extended the broad gold-silver mineralization footprint from the original dimensions of 2020-2023 drilling in and around the Contention Pit at the Tombstone project. The Tombstone project covers most of the historic Tombstone silver mining district in southeastern Arizona.

Highlights: The latest Contention Pit channel sampling results further extend the presence of near-surface, broad, high-grade gold and silver mineralization confirming Aztec's drilling from 2020 to 2023. Select channel line interval highlights include: Line H: 60.0 m at 1.97 gpt Au and 120.36 gpt Ag (3.47 gpt AuEq) including 36.0 m 2.86 gpt Au and 172.41 gpt Ag at (5.02 gpt AuEq); Line G2: 45.6 meters at 0.40 gpt Au and 39.88 gpt Ag (0.89 gpt AuEq) including 12.0 meters of 0.67 gpt Au and 77.47 gpt Ag (1.64 gpt AuEq) and 2.0 meters of 2.17 gpt Au and 97.90 gpt Ag (3.40 gpt AuEq); Line N: 49.5 m at 0.17 gpt Au and 14.14 gpt Ag (0.34 gpt AuEq). The channel sampling results provide key information to support expansion drilling on the western portion of the Contention Pit targeting new mineralized gold and silver zones.

This high-priority target area was historically reported as a target for open pit mining expansion by previous operators. The recently acquired knowledge of the mesothermal mineralization geological setting indicates a high potential for further discovery of wide oxide Gold & Silver along strike and down dip of prospective hosting rocks outcropping in the Contention Pit areas Additional reconnaissance sample assay results are pending. Many of the high-grade gold-silver sample results from Lot 2 are located immediately adjacent to the Westside target area and indicate the strong potential to expand into multiple zones of broad Au-Ag oxide mineralization to the west.

This second lot of sample results confirm and expand the first lot's sample results. The results of the Channel Sampling Program, Lot 2, illustrated in table 1, supports the presence of broad, mesothermal, gold and silver oxidized mineralization and suggests the potential for further expansion of the mineralization footprint in the host formations down dip and along strike, also demonstrating the potential extensions towards the west of the historical Contention Pit. 2024 Exploration Program: The primary objectives of the 2024 surface exploration program are to continue to expand and define the shallow, open pit-table, oxidized gold/silver potential mineralization, and to also develop targeting for the CRD mineralization historically demonstrated to be present at depth.

Aztec collected and analyzed (482) rock chip channel and reconnaissance samples for multi-elements including 422 mine-cut chip channel samples of 2 meters length each from the Contention pit with accessible, visible coloration and/or alteration and 60 outcrop and waste rock storage site reconnaissance composite and select samples over the rest of the project, including the Westside area, to expand and enhance geochemical and geological knowledge throughout the Tombstone project exploration targeting. The results of Lot 2 totaled 142 samples excluding the QAQC samples. Aztec's recent geological mapping at detailed scale (1:200) within the Contention pit and at reconnaissance scale (1:2,000) over the surrounding property has identified attractive mesothermal broad oxidized new mineralized zones.

In the Contention pit mapping, recent detailed lithological, structural and alteration mapping is proving crucial for definition of the extensions towards the Westside area. Project data evaluation also continues to advance including the 3D modeling of the historic mine workings, drilling and geologic data. Modeling the geochemistry including trends of Au-Ag mineralization will then resume using the understandings gained on the multi-element relationships with Au-Ag, reviewing the subsequent results to the geophysical data and the SWIR-Terraspec data, and other investigations.

Tombstone Project Overview: Aztec holds a 75% interest in the Tombstone Property Joint Venture, which includes most of the original patented mining claims in the main district as well as some recently acquired properties. The main target of the 2023 core drill program was to continue testing the shallow, bulk tonnage, heap leachable, mesothermal gold-silver oxide mineralization adjacent and below the previously mined Contention pit by infill and step-out drilling. Core drilling was needed in order to penetrate the multiple historic workings and to acquire critical geological data.

Future drilling is expected to focus on strike and dip extensions of the shallow oxide mineralization, and move deeper to test for larger, deeper ?Taylor-type? lead-zinc-silver CRD targets along and adjacent to the Contention structure. The Tombstone project is located 100 kilometers (km) southeast of Tucson, Arizona and covers much of the historic Tombstone silver district.

Tombstone is renowned for its high grade, oxidized, silver-gold mesothermal stringer lode veins, hydrothermal breccias and manto CRD orebodies that were mined in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The historic silver production in the Tombstone district from 1878 to 1939 was estimated at 32 million ounces and 250,000 ounces of gold. The district geology consists of a mix of shallow-level, oxidized Au-Ag and base metal deposits related to CRD and skarns hosted in folded and thrusted sediments, intrusive dikes and lode veins, and as well the under explored, sulfide versions located below the water table. Host rocks to the mineralization are primarily the clastic sediments of the lowest portion of the Cretaceous Bisbee Formation.

Between 50 and 300 meters (m) in depth, the Bisbee is underlain by approximately two kms thick of the same Paleozoic carbonate formations that host the 110 MT Hermosa-Taylor zinc- lead-silver deposit of South32 located 60 km southwest of Tombstone. Although the historic silver mines at Tombstone were generally small, Aztec believes they could be related to much larger mesothermal and CRD orebodies below the old mines. Since 2017, Aztec has completed geological mapping, geochemical sampling and geophysical surveying to identify the most prospective areas for Au-Ag mineralization around and below the Contention open pit, and CRD zinc-lead-copper- silver-gold mineralization below the entire district.

Aztec management views the district as highly prospective for the discovery of mesothermal and CRD orebodies.