USA > New Mexico > Historical sketches of New Mexico : from the earliest records to the American occupation > Part 19
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take the party and their baggage to the capital. Pike at first refused to go until the detachment which he had sent under a sergeant to bring in the two men still ab- sent had returned ; but it was finally arranged that he should proceed with one of the lieutenants and half the Spanish force, leaving two men to meet the ser- geant's party on their return, to inform them of the changed aspect of affairs. Pike in telling of this event expresses the reluctance with which he abandoned the fort built with so much labor, and which was admirably situated for defense ; but finding that he had really, though unintentionally, trespassed on Spanish territory, and being confident that the officers sent had orders to bring him and his men to Santa Féby force, if necessary, he thought it best to show an entire willingness to make an explanation to the Governor, rather than appear to go under constraint.
Much discussion has taken place as to the exact lo- cality of Pike's Fort; but by a careful reading of his narrative it can be determined almost to a certainty. He first saw the Rio Grande from the top of a high hill, two days after his party struck a small river running west, which they hailed as a tributary to the Red River, and followed through what would now be called a caÑon, along the foot of the White Mountains (Sierra Blanca). A glance at a modern map will show that the small river was the Sangre de Cristo; and the point from which the Rio Grande was first seen, near the site of Fort Garland. After reaching the Rio Grande they de- scended eighteen miles, where they found a large western branch emptying into the main stream. This must have been the present Conejos River. Five miles up this river, on the north bank, and with the water itself forming the defense on one side, was where he built his fort; which was so ingeniously constructed that it could only be entered by creeping through a hole, after passing a draw-bridge over the ditch. The description which
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Lieutenant Pike gives of the surrounding country is just such a burst of enthusiasm as we might expect from the first writer who ever attempted to tell the loveliness of the San Luis Park. "From a high hill south of our camp," he says, " we had a view of all the prairie and rivers to the north of us; it was at the same time one of the most sublime and beautiful inland prospects ever presented to the eyes of man. The prairie, lying nearly north and south, was probably sixty miles by forty-five. The main river, bursting out of the western mountain and meeting from the north-east a large branch which divides the chain of mountains, proceeds down the prairie, making many large and beautiful islands-one of which I judge contains 100,000 acres of land, all meadow-ground, covered with innumerable herds of deer. In short, this view combined the sublime and beautiful. The great and lofty mountains, covered with eternal snows, seemed to surround the luxuriant vale, crowned with perennial flowers like a terrestrial para dise shut out from the view of man."
The description of the journey to Santa Fé shows the above to be the correct location of the fort. The first town of importance which they saw, was after a march of a little more than 100 miles, being the village of Warm Spring, or "L' Eau Chaud," as Pike calls it, or, as now known, Ojo Caliente. Here he found the first real Mexican houses which he had seen, and describes at some length the flat roofs, water-spouts, narrow doors, and small windows-some with mica lights. The springs he describes as two in number, about ten yards apart, each affording water enough for a mill, and the temper- ature of the water as more than thirty-three degrees above blood-heat. The next day they marched down Ojo Caliente River to its junction with the Chama (which he calls Conejos), observing on the way the well- known ruins of ancient pueblo towns, as well as several little inhabited villages, all of which had round towers
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to defend the inhabitants from Indian incursions. . Here they first experienced the characteristic hospi- tality of the Mexican people; who invited them into their houses, dressed the feet of the lads who had been frozen-and in short, to use the language of Pike, "brought to my recollection the hospitality of the an- cient patriarchs, and caused me to sigh with regret at the corruption of that noble principle by the polish of modern ages."
The same day they continued down the Chama to the Rio Grande and across to " the village of St. John's " (Pueblo of San Juan), which he says was the residence of the President Priest of the province, who had re- sided in it forty years. The house-tops were crowded when the party entered, just as they would be on a similar occasion to-day ; and all the officers and men were hospitably treated. The next morning they marched after breakfast, and in about six miles came to a village of 2,000 souls, and in seven miles further to a small town of 500 inhabitants. These places are not named by the narrator, but must be Santa Cruz and San Yldefonso. Seventeen miles further on they came to a Pueblo town (the Pueblos are always distinguished by Pike as "civilized Indians") containing 400 people. While the estimate of population is a good deal ex- aggerated, this is evidently Tesuque. Here they changed horses and prepared for their entry into the capitol and appearance before the Governor. The con- dition of Pike's party as to clothing was so lamentable as to be almost ludicrous. When they left their horses on the Arkansas, and commenced carrying everything on their backs, all articles were abandoned that were not essential to safety. Ammunition, tools, leather, etc., claimed the first places; the ornamental was a minor consideration. So on arriving at Santa Fé the com- mander was dressed in blue trousers, moccasins (mock- insons) blanket, coat, and a cap made of scarlet cloth
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lined with fur skin; and the men, in leggings, breech- cloths, and leather coats-and not a hat in the whole company. In such garb they did not make a very im- posing appearance.
They had left the fort on the Conejos, February 26th, and arrived at Santa Fé on the evening of Tuesday, March 3rd, Pike describes the length of the city on the creek as about a mile, and that it was about three streets in width. "Its appearance from a distance struck my mind with the same effect as a fleet of the flat-boats which are seen in the spring and fall seasons descending the Ohio. On the north side of the town is the square of soldiers' houses. The public square is in the center of the town, on the north side of which is situ- ated the palace or government house, with the quarters for the guards, etc. The other side of the square is oc- cupied by the clergy and public offices. In general the houses have a shed before the front, some of which have a flooring of brick; the consequence is that the streets are very narrow, say in general 25 feet. The supposed population is 4,500." In another description of Santa Fé, which Captain Pike included in the ap- pendix to his report, he gives a fuller description of the place and its surroundings, as follows: "In the center is the public square, one side of which forms the flank of the soldiers' square, which is closed and in some degree defended by round towers in the angles which flank the four curtains; another side of the square is formed by the palace of the Governor, his guard-houses, etc. The third side is occupied by the priests and their suite, and the fourth by the chapetones who reside in the city."
On entering thecity, Lieutenant Pike was conducted to the palace, where he says, "we were ushered in through various rooms, the floors of which were cov- ered with skins of buffalo, bear, or some other animal. We waited in a chamber for some time until his Excel-
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lency appeared, wnen we arose, and the following con- versation took place in French,-
Gov. Do you speak French ?
Pike. Yes, sir.
Gov. You come to reconnoitre our country, do you ?
Pike. I marched to reconnoitre our own.
Gov. In what character are you ?
Pike. In my proper character, an officer of the United States Army.
Gov. How many men have you ?
Pike. Fifteen.
Gov. When did you leave St. Louis ?
Pike. 15th of July.
Gov. I think you marched in June.
Pike. No, sir.
Gov. Well, return with Mr. Bartholomew to his house, and come here again at seven o'clock, and bring your papers.
" At the hour appointed we returned, when the Gov- ernor demanded my papers. I told him I understood my trunk was taken possession of by his guard. He ex- pressed his surprise, and immediately ordered it in; and also sent for one Solomon Colly, formerly a sergeant in our army, and one of the unfortunate company of Nolan. We were seated, when he ordered Colly to demand my name, to which I replied ; he then demanded in what province I was born. I answered in English, and then addressed his Excellency in French, and told him that I did not think it necessary to enter into such a catechising ; that if he would be at the pains of reading my commission from the United States, and my orders from my General, it would be all that I presumed would be necessary to convince his Excellency that I came with no hostile intentions towards the Spanish govern- ment ; on the contrary, that I had express instructions to guard against giving them offense or alarm, and that his Excellency would be convinced that myself and
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party were rather to be considered objects on which the so much celebrated generosity of the Spanish nation might be exercised, than proper subjects to occasion the opposite sentiments." He then requested to see my commission and orders, which I read to him in French ; on which he got up and gave me his hand for the first time, and said he was happy to be acquainted with me as a man of honor and a gentleman, that I could retire this evening and take my trunk with me; that on the morrow he would make further arrangements.
The next day, after examining the contents of Pike's trunk, the Governor informed him that he must go with his men to Chihuahua, in the then province of Biscay, to appear before the Commandant-General. The following conversation then ensued, which Pike has preserved in full in his journal,-
Pike. If we go to Chihuahua, we must be con- sidered as prisoners of war.
Gov. By no means.
Pike. You have already disarmed my men without my knowledge ; are their arms to be returned, or not ?
Gov. They can receive them at any moment.
Pike. But, sir, I cannot consent to be led 300 or 400 leagues out of my route without its being by force of arms.
Gov. I know you do not go voluntarily, but I will give you a certificate from under my hand of my having obliged you to march.
Pike. I will address you a letter on the subject.
Gov. You will dine with me to-day, and march afterwards to a village about six miles distant, escorted by Captain Antony D'Almansa, with a detachment of dragoons, who will accompany you to where the re- mainder of your escort is now waiting for you, under the command of the officer who commanded the expedi- tion to the Pawnees."
After the dinner-which Captain Pike characterizes
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as "rather splendid," having a variety of dishes, and wines of the southern provinces-the Governor drove Pike, D'Almansa, and a Mr. Bartholomew, who had proved a special friend to the Americans, three miles on the road to the south, the coach being attended by a guard of cavalry ; and on parting said to his prisoner- guest : "Remember Alencaster in peace or war."
Accompanied by his friend Bartholomew and the guard, Pike continued on through a blinding sand, and passed the night at the priest's house, at what appar- ently was the present village of La Bajada ; as he says that they " came to a precipice which we descended, meeting with great difficulty from the obscurity of the night." Shortly after noon of the next day they arrived at the Pueblo of Santo Domingo, which they describe as " a large village-the population being about 1,000 natives, governed by its own chief." The insignia of the Governor appears to have been nearly the same then as at present, as it is stated that he was distinguished by "a cane with a silver head and black tassel." Pike visited the old church, and speaks enthusiastically of its rich paintings and the image of the Saint, " as large as life-elegantly ornamented with gold and silver."
On Friday, March 6th, they arrived at San Felipe, where they crossed the Rio Grande on a bridge of eight arches, which seems to have attracted Pike's attention specially, as he gives a full description of its construc- tion. Here they stopped at the house of the padre, F ther Rubi, whose hospitality and extended informa- tion made the stay a pleasant one. At Albuquerque they were similarly entertained by Father Ambrosio Guerra, and Pike seems to have been particularly in- pressed with the beauty of some of the orphan girls, whom the good padre had adopted, and was bringing up in his household ; and enthusiastically writes, after de- scribing the dinner, "and to crown all, we were waited on by half a dozen of those beautiful girls, who, like
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Hebe at the feast of the gods, converted our wine to nectar, and with their ambrosial breath shed incense on our cups."
A short distance further south Pike was rejoiced to meet Dr. Robinson, who had left the party, it will be recollected, while they still believed they were on the Red River, to find his way to Santa Fé. He had received much the same treatment as Lieuten't Pike's command,and was being conveyed to Chihuahua by Don Facundo Melgares, who was now also to assume command of the guard that was conducting Pike. This Melgares was the same who had commanded the Spanish Pawnee expedition, and was described by Robinson to Pike in the highest terms as a gentleman and soldier of gallantry and honor, praise in which Pike himself heartily joined after a brief acquaintance.
After passing towns which the Lieutenant calls Tousac, St. Fernandez, Sabinez, and Xaxales, the expedi- tion reached Cebolleta, spelled by Pike "Sibilleta," which he calls the neatest and most symmetrical village he had seen, being built in a regular square, with an un- broken wall on the outside, all the doors and windows facing the square. At this point, at that time, the semi- annual caravan for the south was formed, leaving in the month of February for El Paso, and returning in March ; and making a similar expedition in the fall. The spring caravan which Pike saw consisted of about 300 men, es- corted by an officer and 35 or 40 troops, and was con- ducting 15,000 sheep, which had been collected from various parts of New Mexico, and were to be sold or exchanged for merchandise.
On the 21st of March the whole party arrived at El Paso, and Pike, with the officers, stayed at the house of Don Francisco Garcia, a wealthy merchant and planter, possessing 20,000 sheep and 1,000 cows.
On April 2d they reached Chihuahua, and Pike im- mediately had an audience with the General Com-
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manding, Don Nemecio Salcedo, who took his papers for examination, and also requested him to write a brief sketch of his travels and adventures on this expedition, which he shortly after did.
After being detained for some time, which however was spent quite pleasantly, owing to the hospitality of many of the leading citizens, Pike and Robinson were sent by a route nearly directly eastward, toward Natch- itoches, which was the nearest United States post. On June 7th they arrived at San Antonio, where they were very hospitably treated by Governor Cordero, of Coahuila and Texas, and Governor Herrera, of the Kingdom of New Leon, who treated them, in the language of Pike, "like their children."
Captain Pike speaks in the most exalted terms of both of these gentlemen, and relates the following anec- dote as evidence of the extreme popularity of the latter : "When his last term as Governor expired, he repaired immediately to Mexico attended by three hundred of the most respectable people of his government, who carried with them the sighs, tears, and prayers of thousands that he might be continued in that government. The Viceroy thought proper to accord to their wishes pro tempore, and the King has since confirmed his nomination. When I saw him, he had been about one year absent, during which time the citizens of rank in Mont Elrey had not suffered a marriage or baptism to take place in any of their families, until their common father could be there to give joy to the occasion by his presence."
At length, on the 1st of July, 1807-but three weeks short of a year from the time of his departure from St. Louis-after crossing the whole of what is now the State of Texas, late in the afternoon, but so eager to arrive that they left their jaded horses and pressed forward on foot, Pike entered the town of Natchitoches with Dr. Robinson. "Language," says he, "cannot express the gaiety of my heart when I once more beheld the stand-
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ard of my country waved aloft. 'All hail,' cried I, ' the ever sacred name of country, in which is embraced that of kindred, friends, and every other tie which is dear to the soul of man !' "
It will be interesting to make a few extracts from the description which Captain Pike gave of New Mexico in the " Observations" which form part of the appendix to the history of his expedition ; as showing the condition of the country at that period, in several respects in which time has wrought changes, and in other instances illustrating the characteristics which are still distin- guishing marks of the Territory and its people,-
MINES, ETC .- " There are no mines known in the province, except one of copper, situated in a mountain on the west side of Rio del Norte, in latitude 34º north. It is worked, and produces twenty thousand mule loads of copper annually. It also furnishes that article for the manufactories of nearly all the internal provinces. It contains gold, but not quite sufficient to pay for its extraction ; consequently it has not been pursued."
The above extract sounds strangely at this day, when gold and silver are considered the chief resources of the Territory ; and it is also singular as showing how little knowledge or recollection there could have been in the community of the operations of the early conquerors, which had ceased a century and a quarter before. It is not easy to fix the identity of the copper mine referred to, but latitude 34° is just below Socorro, and so the mine may have been in the Magdalena Range; although it is possible that the latitude given is incorrect, and that the mine referred to was the "Santa Rita," then being actively worked. This extract may be read in connec- tion with one soon to be given on trade and commerce, in which "wrought copper vessels" appear among the exports, and " gold and silver " among the imports.
MINERALS .- " There is, near Santa Fé, in some of the mountains, a stratum of tale, which is so large and flex-
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ible as to render it capable of being subdivided into thin flakes, of which the greater proportion of the houses in Santa Fé, and all the villages to the north, have their window-lights made."
These mica mines, especially at Petaca and in the vicinity of Mora (where one of the villages is called Talco), are well known at present. As late as the time of the American occupation, in 1846, we are told that no house in Santa Fé, except the. Palace, had windows of glass.
TRADE AND COMMERCE .- " New Mexico carries on a trade direct with Mexico through Biscay (Chihuahua), also with Sonora and Sinaloa ; it sends out about 30,000 sheep annually, tobacco, dressed deer and cabrie skins, some fur, buffalo-robes, salt, and wrought copper vessels of a superior quality. It receives in return from Biscay and Mexico, dry-goods, confectionery, arms, iron, steel, ammunition, and some choice European wines and liquors ; and from Sonora and Sinaloa gold, silver, and cheese. The following articles sell as stated (in this province), which will show the cheapness of provisions and the extreme dearness of imported goods :-
Flour sells per hundred at
$ 2 00
Salt per mule-load.
5 00
Sheep each.
1 00
Beeves each ..
5 00
Wine del Passo per barrel.
15 00
Horses each.
11 00
Mules each.
30 00
Superfine cloths per yard.
25 00
Fine cloths per yard.
20 00
Linen per yard
4 00
and all other dry-goods in proportion.
" The journey from Santa Fé to Mexico and return- ing to Santa Fé takes five months. They manufacture rough leather, segars, a vast variety and quantity of potters' ware, cotton, some coarse woolen cloths, and blankets of a superior quality. All these manufactures are carried on by the civilized Indians, as the Spaniards think it more honorable to be agriculturists than
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mechanics. The Indians likewise far exceed their con. querors in their genius for, and execution of, all mechan- ical operations. New Mexico has the exclusive right of cultivating tobacco."
From this it will be seen that the manufacture of pot- tery, the evidences of which are found in great quantities in the ruins of the oldest pueblos, and which is still car- ried on to such an extent by the Pueblo Indians, was never intermitted by that industrious people. The blankets were probably the forerunners of the present celebrated productions of the Navajoes, which tribe is mentioned by Pike under the name of "Nanahaws." Then, as now, the Apaches were the most troublesome of the natives, as the " Observations " say, "The Apaches are a nation of Indians who extend from the Black Mountains in New Mexico to the frontiers of Cogquilla (Coahuila), keeping the frontiers of these provinces in a continual state of alarm, and making it necessary to employ nearly 2,000 dragoons to escort the caravans, protect the villages, and revenge the attacks they are continually making."
GOVERNMENT AND LAWS .- "The government of New Mexico may be termed military, in the pure sense of the word; for although they have their alcaldes, or in- ferior officers, their judgments are subject to a reversion by the military commandants of districts. The whole male population are subject to military duty, without pay or emolument, and are obliged to find their own horses, arms, and provisions. The only thing furnished by the government is ammunition, and it is extraor- dinary with what subordination they act when they are turned out to do military duty ; a strong proof of which was exhibited in the expedition of Melgares to the Pawnees. His command consisted of 100 dragoons of the regular service and 500 drafts from the province. He had continued down the Red River until their pro- visions began to be short; they then demanded of the
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lieutenant where he was bound and the intention of the expedition. To this he haughtily replied, 'where- ever his horse led him.' A few mornings after, he was presented with a petition, signed by 200 men of the militia, to return home. He halted immediately, and caused his dragoons to erect a gallows; then beat to arms; the troops fell in, he separated the petitioners from the others, then took the man who had presented the petition, tied him up, and gave him fifty lashes, and threatened to put to death on the gallows erected any man who should dare to grumble. This effect- ually silenced them and quelled the rising spirit of sedition, but it was remarked that it was the first instance of a Spaniard receiving corporal punishment ever known in the province
In the following paragraph Captain Pike pays a warm tribute to the bravery of the New Mexicans, and makes a richly merited recognition of that generosity and hospitality for which they are everywhere noted, and which the lapse of three-quarters of a century has not lessened, but which form as noticeable a character- istic to-day as when the Captain wrote these words in 1807.
MANNERS, ETC .- "There is nothing peculiarly charac- teristic in this province that will not be embraced in my general observations on New Spain, except that being frontier and cut off, as it were, from the more inhabited parts of the kingdom, together with their continual wars with some of the savage nations who surround them, render them the bravest and most hardy sub- jects in New Spain ; being generally armed, they know the use of them. Their want of gold and silver renders them laborious, in order that the productions of their labor may be the means of establishing the equilibrium between them and the other provinces where those metals abound. Their isolated and remote situation also causes them to exhibit in a superior degree the
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heaven like qualities of hospitality and kindness, in which they appear to endeavor to fulfill the injunction of the scripture, which enjoins us to feed the hungry. clothe the naked, and give comfort to the oppressed in spirit ; and I shall always take pleasure in expressing my gratitude for their noble reception of myself and the men under my command."
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