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Show EARLY found south of Santa SPANISH EXPLORATIONS Fé; near the old San Marcos 297 are located the mines of the Cerrillos district. The Spaniards found indicati ons of mineral near this pueblo at the time of this visit, On the 24th day of January, the Spaniards started eastward , with Indian guides, for the purpose of bringing up the remainder of the army, the colonists, and the wagon-trains from Uracea. In their journey, they passed through pine forests, and for drinking purposes for men and horses were compelled to melt the snow which covered the ground to a considerable depth. They crossed the Pecos river two days later and the following day came to Uracea, finding the colonists much alarmed as the food supply was about exhausted. Here they remained four days, when the entire command started on the return, leaving the Pecos on the eighth day of February and reaching San Marcos ten days later. For a short time they made this town the center of operations, visiting a pueblo, the twenty-first, two leagues distant. In the month of March, Castao again visited the pueblo of Cicuyé, where he found the inhabitants much more friendly than on his first visit. Afterwards he visited the twenty-second pueblo, known as Santo Domingo, on the Rio Grande, to which place later the headquarters of the command were moved. The men, owing to the strict rules which Castafio enforced relative to the plundering of the natives, became very restless, and according to the chronicler entered into a conspiracy to abandon him and return to Mexico. Before anything was accomplished, however, Castafio was advised of this plot and promptly suppressed it. In the month of March, while searching for mining prospects, Castafio found two more pueblos, twenty-three and twenty-four, both of which had been abandoned by the natives on account of conflicts with the wanderThe Spaniards now explored the province ing tribes of the plains. of Tiguex and found fourteen pueblos, nine of which were visited. Upon the approach of the Spanish army the natives fled to the hills, because, as the commander says, they were afraid of being punished for having killed the friars. While on these exploring expeditions down the Rio Grande, the Indians brought news of other Spaniards coming up the river. Later on Castafio met some of his own men, who informed him of |