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Show HISTORY THE Having been at the pueblo of Bové for two days, on the 9th day of the army left this pueblo and proceeded to San Juan, the July wagons going by the way of the pueblo of San Marcos,*?® in caciques volvieron 4 jurar y prometer, bajo graves pefias, que cuidarian y respectarian & los religiosos, y estos salieron del campamento 4 predicar cada uno en las tribus que le habian tocado, y fueron asi: 4 fray Francisco de San Miguel, los pecos y los que tenian ganado de cibolo hasta la sierra nevada; 4 fray Francisco de Zamora los cicuris y los apaches, al norte y poniente de la sierra nevada, y los taos; 4 fray Juan de Rosas los cheros y los pueblos castixes; 4 fray Alonzo de Lugo los emenes, los apades y cocoyes; 4 fray Andrés Corchado, los trias, los acomas, los truiti y los mohow; 4 fray Juan Claros los tiguas o ohiguas, y & fray Cristobal de Salazar los tepuas. Ademas de estas, que eran las principales tribus que cada uno de esos religiosos tenia por encargo convertir, agregabanseles muchos pueblos y tribus mas reducidas, de manera que comprendia Si jurisdiccion espiritual un territorio tan extenso, que numero decuplo de misioneros no hubiera sido suficiente para aquella empresa.’ deleted - i - Final Report, part 1, p. 93: ‘‘Near San Marcos lies ebrated locality of Callaite, called popularly the ‘turquoise mines.’ The turquoises are imbedded in a white porphyritie rock, and a high authority on enh Mr. George F. Kunz, has informed ‘me that the Naw Mexican turquoise el: Bissett Uk gan won a 8 S tek have Pee been found oot eee occasionally ; also very n interior quality. The large Tanos of Santo Domingo regard themselves as the owners of the site and visit it frequently to procure the stones that are si much esteemed by them. As to the popular belief in ancient mining of ak : 2 — many others of the kind, a myth. The Tanos obtained a’ by knocking it out of the rock with stone mauls, axes and hammers, many of which have been found in the locality. They also dug and burrowed, but their excavations were made at random, and went but little beneath the CONQUEST OF NEW MEXICO 315 southern Santa Fé county, and almost in sight of the present city of Santa Fé. The inhabitants of San Juan received the Spaniards with great courtesy, and thereafter the pueblo was known de los Caballeros. as that of San surface. Still less did the Spaniards compel the Indians to ‘mine’ the turquoise for them. Very little attention was paid by the whites to the green and blue stones, the latter of which are comparatively rare; since they regarded the New Mexican Callaite as of a base quality, and therefore as of no commercial value. Nevertheless the turquoises of the Cerrillos were quite a resource for the Tanos, so far as aboriginal commerce went. ‘‘Castafieda says nothing of the turquoise of the Cerrillos; neither does Espejo, who visited the Tanos. While Ofiate personally did not pass by San Marcos, still no mention is made by him of the turquoise. ‘‘The first writer of the turquoise mines is Fr. Zarate-Salmeron, who in his Relaciones, says: ‘Y minas de Chalchihuites que los Indios benefician dese 6 Su gentilidad, que para ellos son Diamantes y piedras preciosas. De todo esto se rien los Espafioles que alla estan.’ ‘‘Vetancurt mentions isinglass but nothing of the turquoises; he says: ‘Y una de talco trasparente 4 modo de yeso, que lo sacan como tablas, y adornan las ventanas con ellas como si fueran de cristal.’— Cronica, p. 286. ‘‘ Benavides, in his Memorial, however, mentions the turquoise; at page 44 he Says ‘Toda esta gente . . . con gargantillas y oregeras de turquesas, que tienen minas dellas, y las labran, aunque imperfectamente. ’ 319 In Obediencia y Vasalaje de San Juan Baptista, Doe. de Indias, vol. xvi, p. 116, we find: ‘‘Y este pueblo de Sant Joan Baptista y el de San Gabriel el de Troomaxiaquino . . . y mas, la Ciudad de Sant Francisco de los Espanioles, que al presente se edifican.’’ This might indicate, says Mr. Bandelier, ‘that it was Ofiate’s intention to call the new settlement San Francisco. But ee °20 Villagré, Historia de la Nueva Mewico, Canto xxvii, fol. 228: ‘‘Kl Pueblo, no constaua ni tenia, Mas que vna sola placa bien quadrada, Con quatro entradas solas cuios puestos, ea Across the Rio Grande from San Juan, Ofiate established his capital and gave it the name of San Gabriel. This was upon the present site of Chamita, and there is a tradition among the people living in the vicinity that the place was once called San Gabriel del Yunque. This location is in a most fertile valley, and the lands enjoy exceptional facilities for irrigation. Today some old walls show that unhewn stones and rubble laid in adobe mortar entered largely into the composition of the structures. Cultivated fields now extend all around the ruin of the old Indian village which Ofiate found there and adjoining which he erected the chapel of San There is some question as to the name given by Gabriel in 1598. Ofiate to this first settlement made by him; some historians say that he called it San Francisco, and others San Gabriel.**® Villagra describes the pueblo which was at this point.®?° ae Juan i= There were seven of the frailes thus commissioned to most dangerous and difficult charges, including the Apaches and other wandering tribes, as well as the Pueblo or A CONFERENCE IS HELD ATSANTO sedentary Indians. It is remarkDOMINGO WITH THE PUEBLOS able how efficient was the work of these soldiers of the cross, when we take into consideration that the tribes themselves were almost always at war; the frailes knew nothing of their lan. guage, and it was indeed almost a superhuman task imposed upon these priests, in this manner and under such circumstances to convert these barbarians to the Christian religion. There was no power to protect them when they left the protecting wing of the army, and yet, trusting in the power of God, they departed to their separate fields of endeavor. They were received by the natives as instructors and prophets, and acted as intermediaries for things both spiritual and material. eS MEXICAN So a lies a OF NEW —soe FACTS es SE LEADING eApa 314 |