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Show FRANCISCO VASQUEZ CORONADO 241 home and friends by pathless wastes these martyrs seemed to be only too willing to suffer death if by so doing they could rescue the souls of these benighted barbarians, Fr. Juan de Padilla had been a soldier in his earlier years, ‘“hombre belico so,’’ as Castafieda says, and was, at the time he came with Coronado, a regular friar of the Lesser Order of Franciscans. He had come from Andalusia to Mexico, and had been stationed at Tulanzinco and at Tzapotla in Xalisco, where he was first guardian and had performed great service with the natives for the cause of Christianity . As before stated in this volume, he accompanied Pedro de Tovar to Moqui, where he aroused the soldiers under Tovar to begin the attack upon the natives. When he had returned to Hawaikih, he also accom panied = ee ae nel - ~ ie a Hernando 7% a ae ae EPO. een ee " tf de Alvarado on the expedition to Tiguex, and later on when Coronado and the army set out in search of the province of Quivira, the fray accompanied him and set up the emble m of Christianity in that far off country.?57 land grants, or falling into the hands of persons who claimed interests in lands in New Mexico, who found among these archives documents which aided them in the courts in establishing title, and minus also some carried off by curio hunters, are now in the custody of the general governme nt at Washington, whence they were taken during the administration of Governor M. A. Otero. Before the destruction by fire of the capitol building at Santa Fé, these archives were in the territorial library, on the first floor of the capitol, at that time being chronologically arranged and indexed by A. F. Bandelier and Mrs. Anita J. Chapman. On the night of the fire, the writer helped carry them to a place of safety. 257 Mota Padilla, cap. xxxiii, 7, p. 167, gives the story of these friars. This historian says: ‘‘Pero porque el padre Fr. Juan de Padilla, cuando acompand & D. Francisco Vasquez Coronado hasta el pueblo de Quivira, puso en el una cruz, protestando no desempararla aunque le costase la vida, por tener entendido hacer fruto en aquellos indios y en los comarcano s, determiné volverse, y no bastaron las instancias del gobernador y demas capitanes para que desisteiese por entonces del pensamiento. El Padre Fr. Luis de Ubeda rog6é tambien le dejasen volver con el padre Fr. Juan de Padilla hasta el pueblo de Coquite, en donde le parecia podrian servir de domesticar algo aquellos indios por paracerle se hallaban con alguna disposicion; y que pues el era viejo, emplearia la ecorta vida que le quedase en procurar la salvacion de las almas de aquellos miserables. A su imitacion tambien el padre Fr. Juan de la Cruz, religioso lego (como lo era Fr. Luis de Ubeda) pretendio quedarse en aquellas provincias de Tiguex, y porque se discurrio que con el tiempo se conseguirria la poblacion de aquellas tierras, condescendié el gobernador 4 los deseos de aquellos apostolicos varones, y les dejaron proveidos de lo que por entonces parecié necessaria; y tambien quiso quedarse un soldado, de nacion portugues, Namado Andrés del Campo, con animo de servir al padre Padilla, y tambien dos indizuelos que en el exercito hacian oficios de sacritanes, y otro muchacho mestizo; de jarinle 4 dicho padre Padilla ornamentos y provision para que celebrase en santo sacrificio de la misa, y algunos biencillos que pudiese dar 4 los indios para atraerlos 4 su voluntad. ‘‘Quedaron estos benditos religiosos como corderos entre lobos; y viendose |