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Show 32 THE SPANISH ARCHIVES OF NEW MEXICO ‘¢ At this camping place and garrison called Fray Cristobal, on the 138th day of September, 1680, more than 60 leagues from the Villa of Santa Fe, the capital of these provinees, Don Antonio de Otermin, governor and captain general of these provinces of New Mexico, for his Majesty, did say: Whereas, as a consequence of the general revolt, conspiracy and treason committed by the Christian Indians, inhabitants of this Kingdom, who, apostatizing from the Faith and failing in obedience to his Majesty, in conspiracy and in treason, killed several Friars, priests, their ministers, desecrated the holy temples, the sacred vases, things of the divine cult, atrociously murdered many Spaniards, women and children, stealing the cattle on the prairies and pillaging the houses and residences, carrying their boldness and barbarous daring to such an extent that, after having simultaneously attacked the majority of the jurisdictions, endeavoring to destroy the entire kingdom, they congregated in great numbers and with exceeding audacity rushed upon the Villa of Santa Fe, the capital of this province, for the purpose of killing the governor and the residents of said Villa, clerics as well as seculars, inaugurating a siege with: great numbers of people of all the nations which they could assemble, carrying said siege as far as the public plaza where all of the people of the Villa and the ie adjacent inhabitants had assembled, together with the peoé agate ¥ . * 1! ‘2 wh er ee et re ple of the jurisdictions of La Cafiada and Los Cerillos; and the siege having been thus begun, the said Indians, composed of great numbers of rogues and vagabonds, many on horseback, armed with arquebuses, lances, swords and shields, which they had accumulated in the despoiling of the people whom they had killed, thereby giving us to understand that there remained no single person alive, neith- ee er Friars nor Spaniards, women and children, in all of the Jurisdictions of the Rio Abajo, province of Moqui, Zuii, Peniol de Acoma, Taos and Galisteo, and that the last to be killed were the governor, the friars and other persons it his company at the Royal Houses (Casas Reales) and that they had come for the purpose of finishing all of them; and although the commander and the chiefs were warned to remain quiet and return to their homes, professing the law of God, and giving obedience to his Majesty; that there was a remedy for all things and that all would be adjusted quietly, still, with the greatest effrontery and audacity, they persisted in their wicked intent and refused to come — os a ee oe oe a to any Med eer t.. ee) agreement, but, on the contrary, proceeding t0 THE SPANISH ARCHIVES OF NEW MEXICO = 33 brandish their weapons, they rushed into the fight, took possession of the parish church and the houses, set fire to the holy temple and houses burning them; they continued the fight during nine days, which was the duration of the siege; they even set fire to the doors of a Hermitage of Our Lady, which was located in a tower of the said Royal Houses (Casas Reales) but failing in their attack there, they took position in the houses and at the river, cutting off the water supply, of which we had none for two days and one night. ‘‘Compelled thus by the alternative of seeing ourselves perish at the hands of so many enemies, sallying forth for life or death, I marched out with a majority of the Spaniards and the servants of the citizens and gave them battle on two occasions, with great determination, killing and despoiling great numbers of the enemy, who seemingly exceeded three hundred, including those who took refuge in some houses and died in the fire; in the two said military engagements eleven fire-arms, more than eighty horses, some lances and shields and the equipment they had in camp were captured. ‘“Through the testimony of forty-seven Indians who were taken prisoner, it became known that all of the Friars who served at the pueblos of Xemes, Zia, Zandia and Isleta, along with all the Spaniards and their families belonging to the jurisdiction of the Rio Abajo, having received notice of the said revolt and of the atrocities which had been committed, had assembled for the purpose of defense against the enemy; and judging that they might be in the same sort of conflict which had overtaken those who were in the said Villa, and owing to the impracticability of defending against so many enemies, found along the highways and at the pueblos, from one to another place, and owing to the scarcity of horses and provisions, the danger being apparent to one as well as the other, and that in the Villa we would be unable to maintain ourselves, I determined, with the concurrence of all, to set forth with the many Spanish women, children and servants, on foot, together with the many wounded men, to endeavor to join the group of people which was reported to be at the house of the Maestre de Campo, Juan Dominguez de Mendoza, or at Isleta; and with many risks and hardships, having traveled until we arrived at said places, where I ascertained that owing to the general rumor circulated by the enemy, in which 1t was declared that the governor and captain general and all of the friars and other persons with him at the Royal Houses |
