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Show 208 LEADING FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN HISTORY letting fly a great last offense was the culmination of the indignities heaped upon them by the soldiery. Coronado sent Cardenas to parley with the natives, but he found their villages barricade d, and later on, being commanded to lay siege to the village, he took possession of the house-tops by surprising the natives; here a battle raged with great fury during an entire day the day following. and night, and throughout a portion of At last, the poor Indians, exhausted by their efforts for defense of their homes, were smoked out by the Mexican allies, who, protected by the Spanish cavalry, undermined the outside walls of the village, natives to sue for peace. and, building smudges, soon compelled the This was granted them by two Spanish officers,223 who responded by folding their arms. When the Indians saw the Spanish officers cross their arms, this being the Indian signal for an inviolable peace, they all surrendered. The captives were led into the tent of Don Garcia Lopez de Cardenas, 222 word 223 Pablo 999 Castaiieda, Relacion, p. 493: ‘*This began the want of confidence of the Spaniards when in the ever ther € was talk of peace from this time on.’’ Castafieda, ibid, Winship ’s translation, p. - These de Melgosa and Diego officers were Lopez, t he alderman from Seville. 4 by $,uo10 hostility ‘oipnig of their pronounced P evidence shower of arrows. Thus early were the natives learning that the Spaniards were not to be trusted. The doctrines of Christian ity and Spanish civilization did not now appeal strongly to the native mind, and when Arellano and the main body of the expedition arrived at Tiguex, the whole province was in arms against them. This state of affairs grew out of the open violation of the instructions of the viceroy. The Spanish soldiers deprived the natives of their houses and turned them out without ceremony, and, in many ways, disregarded the property rights of the Indians who had so kindly received them in their midst. Before the army had arrived Coronado called upon the Indians for a large amount of clothing, and, as they were somewhat dilatory in respondin g to his commands, sent his soldiers to take the clothing by force. One of his officers, having asked an Indian to hold his horse, ascended a ladder to an apartment in one of the houses, where he violated the wife of the Indian and the latter received no justice because he could not satisfactorily identify the man who had committe d this heinous crime. This NDLINDANG 7} gave fisaqZunog chieftain fettered 7? with chains, the natives became very angry, accusing him of faithlessness and lack of friendly appreciat ion, and TR ee ~ & za @ e BS _ © @ © oc a O a] _ © aS 2 _ fi» |