USA > New Mexico > Historical sketches of New Mexico : from the earliest records to the American occupation > Part 15
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Thus ended the first act in the drama of a renewal of aboriginal control. About 100 Spaniards had been killed thus far during the conflict, and with them a number of christianized Indians who adhered to their new religion. The priests had been special objects of hatred to the revolutionists, and no less than eighteen of them had fallen a sacrifice. Of the Indians a far greater number had been killed, but the survivors had the sat- isfaction of seeing their object accomplished. Not a Christian remained free within the limits of New Mexico, and those who had been dominant a few months before were now wretched and half-starved fugitives, huddled together in the rude huts of San Lorenzo.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE PUEBLO GOVERNMENT-1680 TO 1692.
A S soon as the Spaniards had retreated from the country, the Pueblo Indians gave themselves up for a time to rejoicing, and to the destruction of every- thing which could remind them of the Europeans, their religion, and their domination. The army which had besieged Santa Fé quickly entered that city, took pos- session of the palace as the seat of government, and com- menced the work of demolition. The churches and the monastery of the Franciscans were burned with all their contents, amid the almost frantic acclamations of the natives. The gorgeous vestments of the priests had been dragged out before the conflagration, and now were worn in derision by Indians, who rode through the streets at full speed, shouting for joy. The official documents and books in the palace were brought forth, and made fuel for a bonfire in the center of the plaza ; and here also they danced the cachina, with all the accompanying relig- ious ceremonies of the olden time. Everything imag- inable was done to show their detestation of the Christain faith, and their determination utterly to eradicate even its memory. Those who had been baptized were washed with amole in the Rio Chiquito, in order to be cleansed from the infection of Christianity. All baptismal names were discarded, marriages celebrated by Christian priests were annulled, the very mention of the names Jesus and Mary was made an offense,and estufas were con- structed to take the place of the ruined churches.
The chief authority was conferred on Popé, who had been the leader throughout all the preparation for the revolution, and who now established himself at Santa
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Fé. Believing that the next spring would see a renewed attempt to establish the Spanish power, with prudent foresight he endeavored to strengthen the bonds between the different Pueblo nations, and even to effect a per- manent alliance with the Apaches, by proposing marriages with that tribe. To attain these objects, and at the same time to aid in establishing the new order of things, he made a kind of royal progress through the whole territory, journeying on horseback from pueblo to pueblo, and everywhere receiving the highest honors. He was preceded by envoys to give notice of his ap- proach, and was generally accompanied by Catité, Jaca, and Cupavo, who had been his most faithful and active Lieutenants. His commands were implicitly obeyed, and for a time he possessed almost absolute authority; but as usual in cases of sudden elevation, his vanity and arrogance soon became almost, insup- portable, and the Pueblos were forced to place limitations on the exercise of his power. His primary object dur- ing this grand tour appears to have been, as at Santa Fé, to obliterate all remembrance of the days of their thraldom, and to re-establish every ancient custom. The use of the Spanish language was strictly prohibited, even the planting of grains and seeds introduced by the invaders was forbidden; all churches and monas- teries were to be burned, and every crucifix, cross, pict- ure, or other article used in the Christian ceremonials, was to be absolutely destroyed. At the same time the mines in which the people had suffered such brutal slavery were to be filled up, and their very locations obliterated as far as possible. Popé still assumed to have supernatural assistance, and like other self-called prophets, promulgated from time to time communica- tions from the higher powers, as seemed desirable for the development of his purposes. He possessed much ad- ministrative ability, coupled with energy and tact, and even with the drawbacks presented by his occasional
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selfishness and cruelty, was undoubtedly the best leader whom the natives possessed. For a short time, when incensed at some special instance of his tyranny, they substituted Cupavo for him in the seat of power, but were glad after a little experience to recall their old and tried leader.
Meanwhile Governor Otermin had not been idle. As soon as the spring opened in 1681, he had commenced preparations for the reconquest of his dominion ; but it was not till fall that he received the special authorization required from the Viceroy of New Spain. Even then he encountered great difficulties from the scarcity of pro- visions and ammunition, and for lack of other armor, was finally compelled to protect his men with shields and other defenses made of ox-hide. At last, after much delay, he organized an army of about 1,000 soldiers, mostly cavalry, including all the able-bodied men who had been driven from their New Mexican homes, and who for greater efficiency left their families at San Lo- renzo. A number of friendly Indians also constituted & part of his force. When fully equipped, the army started on its march, on the 5th of November, and crossed the Rio Grande at the well-known ford, at Paso del Norte. They pushed on by rapid marches up the river, crossed the Jornada del Muerto, and on November 27th arrived at a point opposite the village of Senecu, which was the most southerly of the Pueblo towns. A party was sent across the river to examine this place, and found it deserted and in ruins, with the appearance of having been captured in war and pillaged. The priests collected the few remains of church ornaments and crosses and burned them ; and the work of the de- struction of the town was then completed by fire. The next day the army passed the ruins of San Pascual, and on the succeeding one the Governor crossed the Rio Grande to visit the town of Our Lady of Succor, (Socorro). This town was also deserted, and showed ev-
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idences of having been taken by assault. The plaza was barricaded by a strong wall, many of the houses were half in ruins, and the images and crosses which had been concealed in the church were broken and de- stroyed. Though the town itself presented no attrac- tions, Otermin was charmed by its beautiful situation, and paid a special visit to the warm spring, now so well known, at the foot of the mountain.
Thus the army marched up the valley, finding noth- ing but deserted villages and ruins, until they reached Isleta. Here there were a number of inhabitants, but they were surprised at the appearance of the Spaniards, and made very little resistance. When assembled in the plaza and questioned by the General, they denied having taken any part in the destruction of the church and sacred vessels, saying that that had been done by the army from the northern pueblos, which had come soon after the Spanish retreat, burned the church, and commanded every one to return to the old religion. Otermin commanded crosses to be erected in the plaza and the houses, and a procession was then formed to meet Father Ayeta, the principal priest of the expedi-
tion, who was now approaching. He came singing an anthem, to which the Indians responded; and the next day religious services were held in the plaza, at which the priest urged the people to return to Christianity, and granted them absolution for past offenses. A num- . ber of children were then baptized, the first one being christened "Carlos," after the reigning King of Spain ; the Governor himself standing as sponsor. At the con- clusion of the ceremonies, which lasted two days, Oter- min graciously pardoned the people for all crimes against the King; and the Indians, having thus received both heavenly and earthly absolution, promised to remain good Christians and loyal subjects for the future.
From this point the Governor dispatched Don Juan Dominguez de Mendoza, the general of cavalry, with
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seventy Spaniards and a company of friendly Indians, to march in advance and reconnoitre the country to the north, while the main army remained for several days at Isleta recruiting its strength and endeavoring to collect grain and food from the surrounding country. It appeared that during the summer there had been a severe drought, which had destroyed most of the crops -especially in the north-so that great destitution and suffering prevailed. This had caused the abandonment of some of the pueblos, whose inhabitants had left their houses in search of food; and was also the occasion of conflicts between the different nations and towns, each of which was endeavoring to procure a supply at the expense of its neighbor. All these circumstances con- duced to make the advance of the Spaniards much easier than it otherwise would have been, and caused them in some places to be hailed as deliverers, rather than resisted as enemies.
Mendoza marched rapidly up the valley, but for a long distance found little save abandoned pueblos, the inhabitants of which had fled at his approach. This was the case at Sandia, Alameda, and Puara; and also · at San Felipe and Santo Domingo. In all the pueblos the churches and religious houses had been destroyed, and the images and ornaments broken or concealed ; while estufas had been constructed, and the Spaniards found many articles connected with the restoration of the heathen ceremonies of the natives.
Passing Santo Domingo, Mendoza marched to Cochití, and here for the first time encountered a considerable number of Indians. They had abandoned the pueblo apparently very hastily, but were seen in large force on the hills around. The Spaniards entered the town in the evening, and the next morning marched out to at- tack the enemy. The Indians also descended from the hills under command of Catité, sounding their war-cry, and apparently eager for the conflict. A conference
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however was arranged, the crafty Pueblo Chieftain ex- pressing a desire for peace; and finally it was agreed that the Indians should be pardoned for all past offenses, and return to their allegiance both to the Church and the King; and the officers embraced each other as a token of enduring friendship. That night however large re-inforcements were received by the natives, and in the morning their army again advanced, nearly 1,000 strong, arranged in a semi-circle, with the apparent in- tent of surrounding and capturing the Spaniards. But again negotiation took the place of battle, and finally a treaty was concluded which was to be a protection, not only to the Indians there present, but to all connected with them who should return to their villages and abandon idolatry.
The army under Catité embraced representatives of the three great nations, the Teguas, Taños, and Queres, and of nearly all of the Pueblos, but time was asked by that Chieftain to bring together the Indians of Cochití, Santo Domingo, and San Felipe, many of whom were still in the mountains ; and other Caciques desired also to notify their respective pueblos of the return of peace, and have them more fully represented. It was arranged there- fore that at the end of two days there should be a great assemblage at which the Spanish authority should be formally recognized, and all the Indians again be re- ceived into the bosom of the Church. The native army then withdrew; but as it did not return at the ap- pointed time, Mendoza began to suspect some treachery, and soon after had his fears verified by the reports of spies, from which it appeared that at the time of the conference the snow had wet the bow-strings of the In- dians and so rendered them unserviceable, and that the delay asked for was in order to remedy this difficulty, and also to concentrate warriors near San Felipe, who might destroy the Spaniards on their downward march. On learning these facts Mendoza hastily broke camp
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and returned to the main army, meeting the Governor near the Pueblo of Sandia. At this point Otermin had remained for several days, while a formal investigation was being made of the facts connected with the rebell- ion of the year. before.
Meanwhile the winter had commenced in earnest ; snow was constantly falling, and the suffering of the soldiers was very severe. The pasturage in the vicinity was exhausted, and the store of provisions was alarm- ingly low. The Indians were constantly increasing in numbers by the arrival of fresh bands from the more distant pueblos, and a detachment on horseback, under Luis of Picuris, was scouring the country south of the Spanish camp. Under these circumstances a council of war was held, at which each military officer, and Father Ayeta, presented their views in writing; and while some favored an advance, and some an entire abandonment of the country, the compromise was de- cided upon of retiring to the friendly Pueblo of Isleta for winter-quarters. On arriving there, however, it was found that the troops were so exhausted, and the horses in such bad condition (less than one-seventh of the original number being fit for service), that the General determined to continue the march down the river to EL Paso, in order to prepare fully for the campaign of the next year. Since they had left Isleta, six weeks before, over 100 of its inhabitants had deserted the town to join the Indian army; and the remainder, consisting of 385 who had been christianized, begged to accompany the army to Mexico, as they feared to be left at their old home without protection. This request was granted ; and after the desertion of the town it was burned, with all the stores that had been collected there, in order to prevent their being of service to the enemy. The army left Tsleta on the day after New-year's, 1682, and arrived at El Paso after a laborious march of nine days; leaving
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the territory for the second time to the sole occupancy of the native population.
Otermin had expected to recruit his army during the spring and return to New Mexico before many months, but in this he was disappointed ; and his lack of suc- cess in the reduction of the country appears to have been so unsatisfactory to the Viceroy that he was re- moved from office and Don Bartolomé de Estrada Ramirez appointed in his place. No record is to be found of any attempt, by this official, to take actual possession of his province, and probably after ascertaining the danger and difficulties of the position, he concluded to be satis- fied with the titular honor of the Governorship; for a year afterwards, in 1684, Don Domingo Jironza Petriz de Cruzate was made Governor and Captain-General. Cruzate organized an expedition in the succeeding year to penetrate the country, and started from Paso del Norte, where the remainder of the old inhabitants of New Mexico were still living, for the march up the Rio Grande. He reached the Pueblo of Senecu (now abandoned, but then south of Socorro), and addressed the people, who were all assembled in the plaza, on their duties to God and the King, and also gave them some sanitary advice, as, for instance, that it was more healthful to sleep in the second story of the buildings. Nothing, however, was accomplished towards the re- conquest of the country during this year ; and although Cruzate made various attempts to effect that object, and in 1688 again entered the territory, with a consid- erable force, and no less than seventy Franciscan Friars, and on one expedition certainly marched as far as Zia, which hecaptured, yet he was always unsuccessful, and the Indians were left in almost undisturbed possession of the land.
Far from employing this period, however, to consol- idate their strength or prepare to resist new invasion,
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scarcely were the Spaniards expelled, when dissensions arose between the various nations, and a state of war existed in one or another part of New Mexico during almost the entire period of the Pueblo control. The consequent interruptions to the planting of corn, and the frequent destruction of supplies during hostile in- vasion, caused much destitution and suffering; and combined with the destruction of towns by siege or burning, led to the abandonment of a considerable number of the pueblos. In fact, the half century of Spanish control seems to have unfitted the natives for self-government, and the nations which had generally lived so prosperously and peacefully as neighbors, down to the coming of Coronado, now seemed determined to effect each other's destruction ; and thus prepared the way for an easy reconquest by the Spaniards.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE RECONQUEST BY VARGAS.
C YRUZATE having failed to take possession of the province with which he had been entrusted, the Viceroy of New Spain, in the spring of 1692, appointed Don Diego de Vargas Zapata Lujan as Governor, with the avowed desire of having New Mexico reconquered as speedily as possible. Vargas was a man of great en- ergy and decision of character, and lost no time in pre- paring for the work before him. He left his home im- mediately for Paso del Norte, and although he was greatly disappointed at the amount of force which he was enabled to muster for the campaign, which barely amounted to 300 in all, including 100 friendly Indians, yet he determined to undertake the work without more delay, and commenced his march on the last day of August. He passed rapidly up the valley of the Rio Grande, finding nearly all the old pueblos in a half- ruined condition, but only stopping for necessary rest and sleep, as he decided to strike his blows before the enemy was prepared ; and in less than a fortnight (Sep- tember 12th) was in sight of Santa Fé.
Meanwhile the Indians had been watching his move- ments, not knowing what point was first to be attacked, but as soon as it was evident that it was the capital, be- gan concentrating towards Santa Fé, and as Vargas ap- proached the city, he saw numerous companies from the adjacent pueblos hastening to its relief. Early the next morning a battle commenced, which was waged with great determination for eleven hours, when at length the Pueblos gave way, and Vargas entered the city. This signal success had an important effect, for judging,
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from the speed with which the capital was captured, that nothing was to be gained by resistance, twelve ad- jacent pueblos surrendered and were immediately oc- cupied. Vargas however well understood that with so small a force it would be impossible to hold so exten- sive a country, and wrote to the Viceroy from Santa Fé in the very height of his success, that in order to retain possession of the country, it would be necessary to es- tablish permanent garrisons ; "and to send less than 500 families and 100 soldiers would be like throwing a grain of salt into the sea."
The Governor however, did not wait for any re-in- forcements; but with characteristic energy, started al- most immediately for the Pueblo of Taos, which was considered the most determined in its opposition to Spanish rule. So rapid was his march that although a considerable halt was made near San Juan, in order to receive with proper ceremony the warriors of that pueblo, who were counted as allies, the army reached the Taos Valley on the third day (October 7th), and speedily surrounded the two great buildings. Not an Indian appeared; and on entering, they found that they were entirely deserted-the inhabitants having retired to a gorge in the adjacent mountains. Sending Luis (an influential, friendly Indian, of Picuris) in advance, Vargas succeeded in arranging a conference, and after a short time induced the Pueblos to return to their homes, promising loyalty to state and church; the Gen- eral, on his part, agreeing to overlook the past, and pro- viding them with a priest, who absolved the whole com- munity, and then proceeded to receive into the church, by baptism, no less than ninety-six of their number. The Governor also succeeded in adjusting the feud ex- isting between Taos and the pueblos to the south; and induced a number of the best of the young men to promise to join his standard in an expedition soon to be undertaken against the Indians of Zuñi. All this
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accomplished, Vargas returned to Santa Fé by the way of Picuris, and arrived on the 13th; having been absent from the capital but eight days, and not losing a single man.
No sooner had he returned, however, than with won- derful energy he prepared for another expedition, which was to be of a more extensive character. As he expected to be absent some time, he appointed Luis, of Picuris (whom we have heard of several times before, and who appears to have been a man of superior ability), as Gov- ernor of all the pueblos under Spanish control; and ad- ministered to him the oath of office upon a cross, in presence of the chief men of the different towns In- teriding to make his first visit to Pecos, and then pro- ceed westward, he dispatched part of his troops, with two pieces of artillery, to Santo Domingo, to await him there; and then, after remaining only three days in the capital, set out early on the morning of October 17th, and reached Pecos by 2 o'clock. Here the people were prepared to receive him very favorably ; and had erected a large cross and arches at the entrance of their town by way of greeting. They were absolved by the two priests (Fathers Corven and Barras) who accompanied the army, and 248 were baptized. The next morning Vargas, at the request of the people, appointed officers for the pueblo, and then left for the west; arriving at night at the ruined Pueblo of Galisteo, which had been entirely abandoned. Three leagues farther on, the next day, they passed San Marcos, once a populous town, but now deserted; and toward evening came to Santo Do- mingo, where they found the other detachment. Here the Governor held a council with the caciques of a num- ber of the neighboring pueblos; who were then pre- sented with crosses, rosaries, and other gifts, and sent to their respective villages, with instructions to prepare to receive the army. On the 21st he marched from Santo Domingo to Cochití, where he met the inhabitants of
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that town, together with those of San Marcos and San Felipe, who had deserted their pueblos for fear of the other Indians, who had combined against them. They were assured of protection, and promised to return to their homes.
From here, with a detachment of troops, Vargas pro- ceeded to Zia, where he found the old pueblo in the ruinous condition in which it had been left after its capture by Cruzate, the people having built a new town near by. Crosses and arches had been prepared, as at Pecos, and the people received him with acclamations. The Governor recommended that they should re-occupy the old pueblo, and gave them some steel axes to assist in the work ; and then, after witnessing a grand dance, rode on to Jemez. Here, as at Zia, the old pueblo had been abandoned, and a new one established on an ele- vation three leagues beyond, where the position was almost impregnable, and had been rendered still stronger by the erection of thick walls and redoubts, the town being built around two plazas, each of which had only one narrow entrance. Although about 600 warriors were in arms, and Vargas was in continual dread of an attack, no opposition was made to his ap- proach, and he was treated with great hospitality by the chiefs. In each village the same ceremonies of ab- solution were performed, followed by the baptism of large numbers of Indians. From Jemez the Governor marched to Santa Ana, and as this completed the pacifi- cation of all the country in the Rio Grande Valley, he sent a detachment of troops, with a number of citizens, to El Paso to bring back into the territory the families of the old residents which had so long been awaiting at that point the time when they could safely return.
So rapid had been the movements of Vargas that much of the fall still remained for active operations, and he determined to visit the whole province if possible, before the end of the season. He set-cut therefore from
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Santa Ana on the 30th of October, with eighty-nine soldiers and thirty Indian scouts, and marched first to Isleta, which he found in ruins, with the exception of the church, and on the 3d of November reached Acoma. Here considerable time was occupied in sending mes- sages and holding councils, the inhabitants having been warned by their friends, the Navajoes, not to put any trust in the professions and promises of Vargas; and the Spaniards, on the other hand, being unable, if they so desired, to assault the town, on account of the great strength of its position. At length, however, the Gov- ernor succeeded in gaining the confidence of the natives. Vargas and the Pueblo chief, Mateo, publicly embraced each other, and a large cross was erected, and the usual absolution and general baptism took place.
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