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Show 112, r &F Bd Tf NLS alt) ee cer + il LEADING FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN HISTORY in behalf of the governor, Nufio de Guzman, all he had and whatever he might be able to do. He appeared much grieved at the bad reception and evil treatment we had met at the hands of Alcaraz and the others, and we verily believe that, had he been there at the time, the things done to us and the Indians would not have occurred. ‘*Passing the night there, we were about to leave in the morning of the next day, but the chief alcalde entreated us to stay. He said that by remaining we would render a great service to God and to Your Majesty, as the country was depopulated, lying waste, and well nigh destroyed. That the Indians were hiding in the woods, refusing to come out and settle again in the villages . He suggested that we should have them sent for, and urge them, in the name of God and of Your Majesty, to return to the plain and cultivate the soil again. This struck us as difficult of execution. We had none of our Indians with us, nor any of those who usually accompanied us and understood such matters. At last we ventured to select two Indians from among those held the 9 that part of the country. These had been with the Christians whom we first met, and had seen the people that came in our company and knew, through the latter, of the great power and authority we exercised all through the land, the miracl es we had worked, the cures we had performed, and many other partic ulars. With these Indians we sent others from the village to jointl y call those who had taken refuge in the mountains, as well as those from the river of Petlatlan, where we had met the Christians first, and tell them to come, as we wished to talk to them. In order to insure their coming, we gave the messengers one of the large gourd s we had carried in our hands (which were our chief Insignia and tokens of great power.) “Thus provided and days. Then they came instructed, back, and they left and were absent seven with them three chiefs of those infringe the royal decrees prohibiting personal service to him and to his assistants. The solicitude of Toyal officers went so far as to abolish, in any and all personal services for 1784, church matters; a measure that well grounded and effective called forth protests. “Slavery was considered in the light of a punishment, and as war against Spain was @ crime against the state and its subjects, prisoners of war campaigns against hostile tribes made in could be sold as slaves. The of this custom was, in New immediate result Mexico, frequent intermixtu re of the different ith the native of Spai nd yet, practically, he ore favorable position. He becam e a Special ward of the royal nent, the complaint by Spanish settlers ig very well groun everything was done for ded, that the India This complaint is uttered as n, and but little for them. ’’ late as 1793. See Fernando (governor of New Mexic de la Conch a, Ms. o) : ‘*Emanadas, presisamente comodidad, y ventajas de la abundancia, que logran estos Yndios mui Superiores en ellas Espafioles que se hallan 4 los establesidos en Sus ynmed iaciones. ’’ The Sor Casas oe Grandes ; in 1850 |