OCR Text |
Show THE CONQUEST OF NEW MEXICO 319 valleys of their native country. Some, however, became discouraged, owing to the great hardships incident to life in this far-off country, and a few returned to New Spain. Immigration, however, increased gradually and settlements were made to the north, almost to the present boundary line of the state of Colorado. The representatives of the church were indefatigable in their labors did but were poorly rewarded. The harvest of souls not meet with the expectations of the frailes; they made but few converts, and owing to the fact that the missions were so far distant from each other, the trials, both physical and spiritual, of these missionaries, were many; they also suffered in some localities from the improvidence of the natives, upon whom they had to rely for subsistence. The Indians proved but poor students of the new religion, and Fi ' <—SSSSSSSSSS_ aN / Fear —S ap tree = mn NURS % 3 oO a ot 5 ia) oF MD = © it was a very difficult matter to induce them to aban- don the pagan rites conducted in their kivas. Onate, however, maintained a stout heart and was very confident of the ultimate success of his enterprise. He was unwearied in his efforts to explore the country and bring into ONATE CONTINUES HIS EXPLORATIONS obedience and submission the several tribes of the adjacent and outlying districts. He made journeys to Picuriés, a distance of six leagues, and thence to Taos, or San Miguel, an equal distance to the north. Taos was also called Tayberon. In the same month, he returned and visited San Ildefonso,?*4 and thence a distance of five leagues to the pueblos of San Marcos and San Cristobal. On the 24th and 26th days of July, Ofiate journeyed to the pueblo of Pecos, going by way of Galisteo, and returning to San Cristobal *? and San Marcos on the last named day; the following day 824 Bandelier, A. F., Finel Report, part ii, p. 82: ‘‘The pueblo of San Ildefonso or Po-juo-ge, offers nothing of archeological interest. After the uprising priests, Fr. Francisco two and fire, by ruined was of 1696, when the church Corbera and Fr. Antonio Moreno, were cruelly murdered and cremated, the village was moved a short distance north, and the present ehureh at the pueblo 18 located almost in front of the site of the older one, to the north of it. 825 In going from San Ildefonso to San Marcos, physical conditions and water supply compelled him to travel in a direction which would have made him pass by the present location of the city of Santa Fé. Leaving San Idefonso, the natural route would have been up the river, now known as the Pojoaque; thence up the river which comes down past the present pueblo of Tesuque, and thence over a ‘‘divide’’ a distance of about two leagues, and he would reach the Rio Santa Fé, down way to San Marcos. which he would have proceeded for a few miles on the This is the route which any Indian would have taken, |