OCR Text |
Show litle Sac toa be ae es 198 LEADING FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN FRANCISCO HISTORY seemed less precipitous and an attempt was made to descend. Three of the party, Captain Melgoza, Juan Galeras, and a private soldier made the effort, and descended until those on the rim above lost sight of them. They did not return until four o’clock in the afternoon and reported that they were unable to accomplish one-third of the distance; that the descent was vary dangerous and difficult, and that the rocks which, from the top appeared no taller than a man, were found, when they reached them, to be higher than the tower of the cathedral of Seville, and that the river appeared very large to them at that point.”* Finding the grand canyon an impassable barrier to further progress westward, Cardenas returned and made his report to the captain-general. While Cardenas was off in search of the Grand Canyon and the race of giants, a deputation of Indians from the province of Cicuyé 714 came to visit Coronado. VASQUEZ CORONADO 199 skins and bucklers for the captain-general, who gave them in return some necklaces of beads and some bells, with which they were greatly pleased, as they had never seen any such ornaments before. They gave Coronado much information about the country from which they came, particularly of the buffalo, a picture of which was painted on the body of one of the Indians. The captain-general was much interested in their story and resolved to send an expedition into their country for the purpose of exploring it. The captain-general placed Hernando de Alvarado in command of this expedition, who, with twenty men, at the end of August, 1540, together with the friar Juan de Padilla, set out upon the journey. They followed a trail which led from Hawaikth almost directly to Acoma,??> passing by a number of abandoned pueblos, among the others that of ‘‘Marata,’’ which had been described by Friar Marcos. CORONADO HEARS OF THE PROVINCE They informed him that they had OF CICUYE AND SENDS HERNANDO heard of his arrival and came to DE ALVARADO IN SEARCH OF IT offer their services, and asked me that if the Spaniards intended visiting their country, they be treated as allies and friends. They were accompanied by one of their chiefs, a very handsome man, whom the Spaniards called ‘‘Bigotes,’’ on account of the long 215 The people of Acoma are a tribe of the Keresan family, whose village or pueblo is situate on a rock mesa, 357 feet in height, about sixty miles west of The native name is A-ko-me, the Rio Grande, in Valencia county, New Mexico. The people of the white rock, and is now commonly pronounced A-ko-ma. native name for the town is A-ko. Friar Marcos de Niza reported this town to Acuco. place the called Coronado the viceroy Mendoza by the name of Acus. The strength of the place was noted by the Spaniards from the time of CoroWhen It is the oldest inhabited village in the United States. nado down. They brought many presents of tanned Relacien, Winship’s trans., p. 429; Rel. del Suceso Winship (Cardenas) ‘le gone 50 leagues west of Tuzan, 80 from Cibola he ound the edge of the river down which it and was impossible to find a path for a horse in any direction difficult place, where ‘ sao or even for a man on foot, except aa mt he side The Indians, in the time of Coronado, living in the other pueblos Mexico. visited by him, regarded the Acoma as very warlike and ‘¢feared by the whole mustaches 4 which he wore. feo of Sevi Waieenbe cen : ca what they say, so that although they sought for a tov dovédalea K ith 1 Se none was found for a long distance, during which oo seh age oo of water, which could not be found, at of the river, . hae ng was forced ‘“ odge, F. oo. Bandelier, A, F Final B an i oe t. a : Tzi-quit-e of the Pecos. eport, part i, p. For a complete deseript; of the Rio Pecos, Rete of the pueblo although th i to sien we ws aera tig P: it, Dp :* © Péeoa is the only new Cicuyé. ’’ : 127, Says Cicuyé is Tshi-qui-te or of Cieuyé see Ruins in the Valley Cieuyé, now almost i : . the station of R Owe,ost in entirely obliterated, lies about a mile : and a half ; from . th . the Atchison, Topeka and iitea ve natives. | ne Seedy ies ee visited by Hernando de Alvarado it was supposed to contain about two hundred In the year 1583, Antonio de Espejo also visited Acoma; he mentions houses. In the dizzy trail cut in the rock and the cultivated fields, two leagues distant. 1598, the village was visited by Juan de Ofiate, at that time governor of New Castafieda says they were robbers or regarded as such. country round about.’’ thirty men ; they Juan de Salvidar visited the pueblo in December, 1598, with were surprised by the Indians, fourteen of the Spaniards being killed outright, were comSpaniards the of Four captains. including Salvidar and two other In pelled to leap over the cliff, three of whom were miraculously saved. comJanuary, 1599, an avenging party of seventy Spaniards were sent under days, three lasted which mand of a brother of Salvidar, who, after a battle, in partly succeeded in killing about half of the tribe of about three thousand and The first missionary labor performed at Acoma was by Fr. burning the town. went to Geronimo Zarate-Salmeron, prior to 1629, but Fray Juan Ramirez, who was its first Acoma in the spring of 1629 and remained there many years, vo. in was permanent missionary and the builder of the first church, which The Indians 0 ree or after 1699 by the present great adobe structure. ape killing their priest, Fr. oe took part in the great uprising of 1680, nado, but, largely on account of their isolation, and the Bene ve oe c argas, village, they were not so severely dealt with by the Spaniards under econquer ‘2 attempt an made Vargas De pueblos. eastern as were some of the — destroying ve the village in August, 1696, but he succeeded only 1n and in capturing five warriors. they submitted to Governor The Indians held out until July 6, Cubero, who changed the name ee of the pueblo : e from |