The "Rosario Chapel," or Church of our Lady of the Rosary, is situated in the northwesterly extremity of the city, near to St. Catharine's Indian School and the National Cemetery, and is itself surrounded by a cemetery which has been enlarged from time to time until it has become one of the most important in the city.

The chapel itself is a plain building of adobe, with no ornamentation on the exterior and comparatively little within. The notable features in the interior are a large painting of our Lady of Guadalupe and a smaller picture of the Holy Family. But it always inspires interest and attracts attention because of its history and its special annual use. Unless a universally held tradition is incorrect, the chapel stands on exactly the ground where Don Diego de Vargas was encamped with his little army on his first expedition for the reconquest of New Mexico, in 1692; and was erected by him in accordance with a vow made to the Virgin Mary just before the capture of the city, which involved not only the building of a chapel in that particular place, but an annual procession or pilgrimage from the parish church to this chapel, as an escort to the statue of the Virgin

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which he brought with him from Mexico on that expedition.

After standing for over a century, the original building became so much out of repair as to be unusable even for occasional services, and a new chapel was therefore erected in 1807, which has remained unchanged down to the present time. In 1914 the need of additional room to accommodate the increasing congregation, became apparent, and a few public spirited citizens raised the necessary amount to build an important addition on the east side of the old building. This was accomplished in the fall of 1914, and the picture of the old church which illusgrates this description was taken on the day before the work was begun, in order to show the building as it had existed for so many years.

The annual procession now takes place on the second Sunday after Trinity, being the Sunday after the Corpus Christi procession from the cathedral. Until recently the Corpus Christi procession included the entire city; but since the growth of the Guadalupe parish it has been found expedient to give to that church a separate celebration, and so the cathedral congregation has its procession on one Sunday morning, and the Guadalupe congregation on the succeeding one, which had before been entirely devoted to the beautiful local celebration in honor of our Lady of Victory. This has resulted in having the latter take place in the afternoon of that day. The Guadalupe parishioners have their Corpus Christi celebration in the morning, and then, after

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the noon hours, at three o'clock, they unite with the congregation of the cathedral in forming one grand procession to escort the statue of the Conquistadora to its particular Chapel of the Rosary. There a brief service is held, the Magnificat is sung, and the statue remains there an entire week, during which time mass is celebrated every day. It is then escorted back to the cathedral by a similar procession, there to remain until the recurring festival in the next year.

The tradition connected with the building and use of the chapel and the annual procession which brings it into special prominence every spring, is set forth by the Very Reverend James H. Defouri, the pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in his book entitledHistorical Sketches of the Catholic Church in New Mexico, published in 1887, in the following form, which we copy as being the most authoritative statement on the subject. Father Defouri says:

"Vargas carried everywhere with him a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and wherever he stopped, a little sanctuary was built, and devotions were offered by the army. We may meet yet several of those places, called by the people 'los palacios,' among others one near Agua Fria, five miles west of Santa Fe. He entered the city by the road called El Camino de Vargas, and stood with his troops near the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Thence, crossing the Rio Santa Fe at a place still called 'Puente de Vargas,' he went to the very spot where now stands the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary,

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and there he erected a palacio. On the next day, September 13th, Vargas with his small troop, attacked the Indians, who were centered on a waste, which is now the beautiful plaza of Santa Fe; they had fortified themselves, and were reinforced by the neighboring pueblos, to the number of ten thousand. The battle raged with great ardor on both sides from four in the morning until nightfall, without apparent result. Then, Vargas, in the name of his troops, on their bended knees, before the statue of Mary, made the solemn vow, that should he take the city, every year that same statue should be brought in solemn procession from the principal church in the city to the spot on which they were camping, where he should build a sanctuary, and there be left for nine days, the people flocking to the chapel to thank Mary for this victory, attributed to her. On the dawn of day, the next morning, he attacked with impetuosity the fortified Indians, and drove them from the plaza; at eight o'clock they retired upon the loma, north of the city, where he attacked them, and by noon not an Indian was seen in the neighborhood.

"Faithful to his promise, Vargas built the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the fulfilment of the vow, commenced then, still continues every year on the Sunday after the Octave of Corpus Christi, by carrying what is most probably the identical statue possessed by Vargas, and called by the peopleNuestra Senora de la Victoria,'Our Lady of the Victory,' in great pomp, with music and pious chanting, from the Cathedral of St. Francis to the

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Chapel of the Rosary; and for nine days mass is chanted there, all the people making daily pilgrimages in thanksgiving for the favor received. It is also calledLa Conquistadora. There seems very little doubt but it is Vargas' statue. It was somewhat repaired a few years ago and the repairs have spoiled the natural beauty of her face, for it is of fine execution. The church built in haste by Vargas fell into a ruinous state, and the one standing there now was commenced over the old one in the year 1807, and solemnly blessed in 1808."

Matters of tradition can scarcely be expected to possess strict historical accuracy, and in the course of years dates which depend on human memory are likely to become uncertain, so it is not surprising that there are doubts as to the entire correctness of the foundation for this annual procession as stated by Father Defouri. Hon. B. M. Read, in hisIllustrated History of New Mexico, after quoting at length from the De Vargas narrative, published in 1693, says, in a note on page 293, that the narrative therein will set at rest the erroneous story that De Vargas fought a terrible battle in taking possession of Santa Fe in 1692, and that the Rosario Chapel commemorated that victory, and he adds "as to the Rosario Chapel commemmorating any such event, there is no authority for such an assertion." On the other hand it is difficult to conceive how a custom and tradition involving the whole community could have originated without some foundation.

It is interesting to note in this connection that

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De Vargas himself speaks more than once in official documents, of the statue of the Virgin which he brought with him on this expedition, and of the propriety of providing it with a suitable home. Thus in the narrative of his visit to examine the condition of the San Miguel Chapel, given in full in the chapter on that venerable edifice, he tells of his appeal to the politeness and gallantry of the Indians whom he was urging to repair the building, by saying that if a lady came to visit them they would be obliged to furnish her with a house, and that they should not consider it laborious to build a house for "Our Virgin Lady who is enclosed in a wagon"; and it is still more interesting that he calls her "Our Lady of the Conquest" in speaking of the urgency of having a church building in which she "may have a becoming place." Whatever discrepancies, therefore, there may be as to the details, it is certain that at that very early day this statue was credited by the people with affording important aid in the conquest, and that that belief has come down uninterruptedly to the present time.

There is another mention of this statue by De Vargas which is little known, but which uses the same title, and shows the very high regard and respect that he had for it. It is in a letter which he wrote to the viceroy of New Spain from Paso del Norte on October 13, 1693, in the course of his second expedition. After telling at considerable length of the obstacles which he had encountered and which had caused delay, he expresses his firm determination to

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achieve success in the reconquest, and then uses this sentence: "I have decided to bring these settlers into the country, and I wish to inform your excellency that it is also my intention to reëstablish the city of Santa Fe, and then to place again our protectrix, Our Lady of the Conquest, on her throne of greater glory of her divine majesty."

The annual procession in which the statue is cartied from the cathedral to the Rosario Chapel, is the most beautiful and interesting of the public religious ceremonies which take place in Santa Fe and add so greatly to its interest and attractiveness. While there are other processions, as on the festival of Corpus Christi, and other interesting ceremonies, as seen in the lighting of long lines of bonfires in the streets on the day of St. Francis, and that of our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12th), yet those are festivals that are celebrated in many other places and therefore may be familiar to the traveler and tourist, but the Festival of our Lady of Victory--of the Conquistadora--with all its accompanying ceremonies, is confined exclusively to Santa Fe, and is absolutely unique; it commemorates a local event and is cherished by the people as their own local festival, belonging exclusively to them alone. Its celebration combines local pride with religious fervor, and is participated in by such numbers as to be a never-failing source of wonder to strangers who are present for the first time.

It is interesting to know that the first annual legal holiday established in the United States was in com-memoration

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of the reconquest by De Vargas, which may be called De Vargas Day. It appears from Archive No. 179, now in the Congressional Library in Washington, that on September 16, 1712, the Marquis de la Penuela, then governor of New Mexico,issued an order commanding the citizens of Santa Fe to celebrate every year thereafter "El Dia de Setiembre" as the anniversary of the reconquest of the Villa de Santa Fe by Diego de Vargas. Just how the time of this celebration became changed from its

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real anniversary in September to a date in May or June, varying with the ecclesiastical calendar, no one now knows; but probably the holiday established by Penuela was altogether of a civil nature, like our Fourth of July, and it was called De Vargas Day after the civil and military commander; whereas the beautiful procession of the Conquistadora is a religious celebration in honor of the Virgin Mary, and is known as the Day of Our Lady of Victory.

The number who take part in the annual procession is usually not far from 1,500, though it has been calculated that at times it has reached 2,000. It is a ceremony of unfailing interest to strangers from its unique character and local color; and it retains all of its distinguishing features with little change from year to year. The only noticeable alteration, in a quarter of a century, is that in the olden times nearly all of the women wore black dresses; with black shawls covering their heads and shoulders; whereas in recent years there is an increasing amount of variety and color in the attire of the younger women, which shows that fashion has its votaries even among the devotees of our Lady of Victory. The following is the usual

ORDER OF PROCESSION Crucifer in purple and white.

Two acolytes in red and white.

Banner, Holy Trinity Society.

"En Honra de la Santisima Trinidad, Nuestra Patrona."

Band.

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Holy Trinity Society.

Woman's Society, black dresses, red badges.

Banner, white and gold, with picture of the Saviour.

Girls with white veils.

Banner, San Jose, red and gold.

Boys in red and white.

Girls in white.

Banner, Sacred Heart, "God is Charity."

Double line of women and girls (many hundred).

Banner, San Luis Gonzaga.

Double line of men and boys (many hundred).

Banner.

Immaculate Conception, "Yo soy la Concepcion Inmaculada."

San Francisco band.

San Francisco Society.

Banner of St. Francis.

Fifty girls in white, with sashes, carrying flowers.

LA CONQUISTADORA, ancient wooden statue, on blue and gold platform, supported by four girls, of the Sodality of St. Mary, in white with white veils.

Priests.

Professors from St. Miguel's College.

General procession.

The most beautiful and unique feature of this interesting procession is presented by the four young girls who immediately precede the statue of the Virgin, walking backward, each with a large basket of roses, strewing flowers in the way throughout all the long line of march.

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It is probably known to very few, even in Santa Fe, that the sandy stretch of road which leads from the city to the Rosario Chapel was once intended to be a beautifully shaded avenue of noble width and perfect condition. Governor Mariano Martinez, who was sent from Mexico to act as governor in 1844, was probably the most energetic and progressive man of any nationality that has ever filled the executive chair of New Mexico. He was young and handsome, full of enthusiasm and public spirit, and he brought with him a wife who was as full of ideals and as anxious to carry them into effect as he was himself. It was Governor Martinez who planted the very first trees in the Plaza at Santa Fe, which until then had been a sandy waste. The oldest cottonwoods, of which a few only have escaped the axe of the vandal modernizer, were set there by his directions; and he did more. He wished the people to have a beautiful park for recreation and refreshment, and so he laid out in front of the Rosario Chapel a spacious alameda or park, and planted it with the best trees that could be procured, and dug a fine acequia from the foot of Fort Marcy heights, near where the Scottish Rite Cathedral now stands, to bring the water in unceasing flow to irrigate and hasten the growth of his alameda. Not content with this, he constructed a fine broad avenue from the westerly end of the city out to the alameda and the Rosario Chapel, and lined each side of it with thrifty trees; and believed he was doing a great work, not only for the present but the future.

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But the rapid changes in Mexican politics soon caused an overturn at the capital city, which affected even far-distant New Mexico, and the progressive administration of Governor Martinez became like a brief interlude in our history. With his retirement all that he had accomplished was brought to nought. General Armijo, who was restored to power, was too busy with politics and personal interests to find time for public improvements which only resulted in beautifying the city and affording pleasure to its people; and so the acequia filled up with sand, and the neglected trees in the alameda withered and died, and the shaded avenue disappeared, and all became the unsightly piece of desert that it is today.

Perhaps before many moons, some public-spirited citizen or patriotic city council, fired by the recollection of what a governor coming from afar did in his brief official term, may once again conserve and direct the water, and plant the trees, and make the dreary waste where De Vargas camped so many years ago to be a place of beauty and a joy forever.

This church is so near the railroad depots in Santa Fe and so conspicuous from the line of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, that it is one of the first objects that attracts the attention of the tourist. It is now surrounded by fine trees which add to its attractiveness.

The history of this church is not very clear. Being, for many years, without a priest specially in charge, there was no official to keep the records, and no ancient mention of its existence has yet been found in the archives or other Spanish documents.

We should certainly accord respect to any statements coming from Father Defouri, who was the pastor of the church at the time when he wrote a book entitled,Historical Sketches of the Catholic Church in New Mexico, in 1887. In this volume, when writing of the Pueblo Revolution of 1680 and of the destruction of the churches, he says: "Guadalupe being somewhat out of town fared better for a while, but was sacked the following year." The same general statement is repeated in another part of his work. Colonel Twitchell, in hisLeading Facts of New Mexican History, says, "From the best information obtainable this building was erected

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about the year 1640. According to tradition the date of its erection is carved upon one of the old beams which surmount the choir gallery, but are now covered with the plaster cornice."

On the other hand, the map of Santa Fe made by Joseph de Urrutia in 1768, while covering the location of the church, does not show any church there at that date. Neither do the archives which contain inventories of property belonging to the different churches in the province, down even to a later date, make any mention of such a church as then existing. The weight of Father. Defouriapos;s statement as to events in 1680 is somewhat impaired by his mention of the Castrense in the same connection, and again in connection with the restoration of San Miguel in 1710, when in fact that church was not built until about 1758, by Governor Del Valle.

The date of the erection of the Guadalupe church is therefore still an open question, soon to be settled, we may hope, by the discovery of some authoritative record.

At the time of the arrival of the railroad, in 1880, and for very many years before, this church was a plain adobe structure, open for public religious services but once in each year, on December 12th, which is the festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The influx of English-speaking Roman Catholics almost immediately after the opening of direct railroad communication with the East and the discovery of mineral wealth at Cerrillos, was so large that it became necessary to make some provision for their accom-modation,

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and Rev. James H. Defouri was put in Charge of the Guadalupe church with directions to renovate it for the special use of an English-speaking congregation. Father Defouri was a man of large experience and much practical ability, and succeeded in a short time in putting the old building in excellent condition for use and in organizing a large congregation. This was subsequently erected into a separate parish, thus dividing the city between the cathedral and the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The illustration which accompanys this chapter shows the church as it was before any modernizing changes were made. Since then there have naturally been some alterations in the arrangement of pictures and other ornaments, although the most conspicuous features remain unchanged. The following description, written by the author in 1883, embodies a full list of the pictures and other works of art which make this church a special object of interest; including some which can now only be seen by personal application to the pastor or sacristan:

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe is situated on the south side of the river, not very far from the railroad depot. It is massively built of adobe, cruciform in shape, and, until 1882, was surmounted by a tower containing several bells made of native New Mexican copper.

For a number of years prior to 1882 this church was very little used, except on the Festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12th); but was a favorite spot for the antiquarian and the tourist, as it

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was full of curious and interesting paintings and other articles, some of which were of special value. But a short time after the arrival of the railroad, in 1880, and the influx of new population which almost immediately followed, the innovating spirit of the times laid its hand on this venerable edifice, and regarding present utility as more important than antique interest, cut windows through the massive walls, which bring a mid-day glare in place of the old "dim, religious light"; replaced the flat, earthen roof With a high peaked one of shingles; built a wooden spire of the strictest New England meeting-house pattern in the place of the venerable tower, and filled the body of the church with rows of wooden pews, covering the ancient adobe floor which had been pressed by the knees of the faithful devoutly bent in prayer for a century and a half of time. It is now used by the English-speaking Roman Catholics.

The first thing which strikes the visitor is the great thickness of the massive walls; and his attention is next attracted by the long rows of vigas, round and smooth, which support the roof. Each viga is itself supported by a timber at each end, which, in the style universal in all the older churches in the Territory, are all elaborately carved. These features fortunately could not be removed by the devastating hand of innovation, and so remain as enduring witnesses to the devotion, liberality, and skill of those who erected this edifice in honor of the great Patroness of the Mexican race.

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The church contains some modern images of more than ordinary excellence, but we pass them by in order to draw attention to the paintings, etc., which give to it its special interest and importance.

Principal among these is the great painting behind the altar, which shows considerable artistic skill besides being entirely appropriate to its position in this particular church, dedicated to Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. This altar-piece is a very large picture, or rather group of pictures, about fourteen feet high by ten feet wide. It is composed of six paintings in all, two on each side, one in the center, and one over the center. The central picture is the usual one of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which, of course, is unchangeable, as all are copies of the original which appeared on the tilma of the shepherd. Around this are four pictures representing four scenes in the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The first scene is on the right hand above, representing the Virgin appearing to the shepherd, Juan Diego, and the latter hastening to obey her command. Opposite to this is the second scene, when the shepherd returns after being repulsed by the Bishop of Mexico -- three angels appearing above him. Below this, being the lower left hand picture, is represented the third scene, when Diego brings the roses in his tilma at the command of the Virgin; and opposite this, the fourth and last scene, where on opening the tilma before the Bishop, the miraculous painting of Our Lady appears. Above the whole is a representation

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of the three persons of the Trinity, the Son being distinguished by the nail-marks in his hands.

The most interesting and curious single picture in this church is one on a large copper-plate, 28x18 inches, painted by Sebastian Salcedo in 1779. The frame is a unique production of art, having silver corners and a silver ornament on each of the four sides. The painting itself is made up of a number of other smaller pictures, the central one being "Our Lady of Guadalupe," surrounded by angels and patriarchs presenting crowns. Above her are seven different scenes in the history of her appearance to Diego; four of them similar to those in the great altar-picture, and three of other scenes. Below, on the left, is a portrait of Pope Benedict XIV, and on the right, an emblematic picture of the Mexican Empire, personified as a female. This picture is over the entrance to the sacristy.

There are five paintings on canvas, all uniform in size, which, before the alterations to the church, were upon its walls, and have since been removed to the sacristy, thus unfortunately depriving the church of its great attraction. These are all of considerable antiquity, and several of them are very curious and interesting because they reproduce the costumes of the age in which they were painted. They are as follows:

1. Madonna and Child. In this the dress of the Virgin is in the curious style of the seventeenth century in Spain, reminding one in exaggerated form of the hoop skirts of more recent days.

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2. The Holy Family. This represents the Virgin and St. Joseph visiting St. Elizabeth; the Infant Saviour and John the Baptist complete the picture.

3. Our Lady of Guadalupe. An old copy of the celebrated Mexican picture.

4. Madonna and Child. The peculiarity of this is the curious flowered dress of the Virgin.

5. The Virgin Mary, alone. With clasped hands.

In the gallery is a large and curious painting, in the Mexican style, of a saint, probably St. Francis. The figure occupies all the center of the canvas; behind it is a large cross, and over the head are two angels holding crowns. In the lower left hand corner is another angel presenting a crown, and on the right side, opposite, a table with a skull upon it. The picture is far from artistic, and has no pretensions to beauty; but it is curious and interesting, and a type of many paintings executed in the Territory or in northern Mexico.

The church contains two antique statuettes, which well exemplify the high art of Spain, and the crude American style of a century or two ago. The first is one of the finest specimens of wood carving, combined with enamel work, that is to be found in the country. But four others of this style are known in the Territory. The one in question represents the Virgin, standing in the crescent of the new moon, surrounded by clouds, a beautiful cherub's face being directly beneath the figure. The robes are of exquisite workmanship, representing embroidery, and the coloring is in rich red and purple, contrasted

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with black and gold. The statue is about fifteen inches high, and will well repay examination. The other statue is about eighteen inches high, made of wood and plaster, and represents St. Joseph. Scarcely could there be a stronger artistic contrast than between these two specimens!

This church also contains some rich embroideries, a part of which were originally clerical vestments, and a portion altar coverings.

The visitor should also be sure to see a curious cross of iron, with brass ornaments at the top and ends of the cross piece, and some old pictorial printed sheets, printed in red and black.

The Church of Our Lady of Light, commonly called the "Castrense," was situated on the south side of the Plaza opposite the center of the latter; and consequently facing the Governor's Palace on the north side of the Plaza. The word Ca strense is defined as "belonging to the military profession," and this church was so called because it was built and used especially for the garrison of the city. In Archive No. 646 in the office of the surveyor general, being a will dated in 1785, this church is alluded to as the "Capilla Castrense" -- the military chapel.

This church is said to have been erected at the expense of Governor Francisco Antonio Marin del Valle, who filled the offices of governor and captain general from 1754 till the latter part of 1760, and popularized himself greatly with the army by this proof of his interest and generosity. If there was any military chapel in the same locality before the time of Governor Del Valle, it must have been a small affair, which called for no particular mention; and the erection of a commodious edifice in its place by the public spirited governor and his devoted wife was the practical foundation of the church as a place of influence and importance.

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That by which both the church and the governor will be remembered for long years to come is the immense stone reredos which was sculptured expressly for this church and is by far the largest and most ambitious piece of artistic work ever attempted in New Mexico. It filled the entire altar end of the building; for just a century it was an object of admiration as well as veneration of the people, and fortunately it is still intact, although removed from its ancient position when the chapel itself ended its career.

When Bishop Lamy came to New Mexico in 1850 he brought with him a very practical mind as well as many other valuable characteristics. By force of circumstances he had to become a master builder. One of the most pressing needs was that of schools for both boys and girls, and especially boarding schools. But the lack of money was a great drawback to rapid progress. The very first requirement was a location. There was an admirable location with some large buildings upon it southeast of the cathedral, but the value was far beyond the means at command. Here the bishop's practical mind solved the problem. This military church of Our Lady of Light was almost useless since the American occupation, but its location on the west side of the Plaza was of much value, and so the bishop negotiated with Don Simon Delgado an exchange of the Castrense for the beautiful and extensive property which is now almost covered with the schools and other institutions of the Church.

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The Church of Our Lady of Light had to succumb to the demands of business, and was taken down about 1859. The great reredos was not disturbed until the demolition took place, when it was carefully removed to the old Church of St. Francis and placed in its proper position there, in the rear of the altar. That portion of the old cathedral has never yet been destroyed, but remains back of the wall of the new cathedral and is one of the most interesting places to be visited by the tourist, and yet it is comparatively unknown even to the newer residents of Santa Fe itself.

The reredos is an immense piece of sculpture, so wide as to extend across the entire width of the chancel recess, and so high as to reach to the caves of the building. Its dimensions are given as eighteen feet in width by fourteen feet in height. It was designed and erected by artists brought from Mexico and is carved from native New Mexico stone, in high relief. It bears two inscriptions in ovals, reading as follows:

"A devocion de Senor Don Francisco Antonio Marin del Valle, Gobernador y Capitan General de este Reino."

"Y de su esposa Maria Ygnacia Martinez de Ugarte, 1761."

It is in three sections, with carved arabesque columns between them, the whole being painted in appropriate colors. In the center is a large, life sized statue; and above that a relief of St. James on horseback killing turbaned Saracens. Over that, crowning the whole reredos, is a representation of St. Joseph,

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and of the Virgin and Child. On the north side are two carved pictures in stone relief -- of St. Anthony of Padua, with the Holy Child, and a tree; and of St. Ignatius, with a book and standard. Opposite these are St. John Nepomuceno, with cross and palm, and St. Francis Xavier baptizing Indians, the water being poured from a shell. Taken altogether, this reredos is the most extraordinary piece of artistic work in the State.

This church seems to have been specially favored by lovers of art, as the only other piece of sculpture which has come down to us from the Spanish days was also a votive offering to the Church of Our Lady of Light. This was a very large altar piece carved from three slabs of limestone in very high relief. From the inscription which still remains, we know that it was erected in 1791 at a cost of eight thousand dollars. Unfortunately it did not have the good fortune which attended the larger structure of the reredos, as to its preservation; but three-quarters of it may be seen any day in the Historical Society rooms in the Palace. The upper half of the sculpture was in one piece and the lower half was of two equal sized slabs of stone. The portions which are in the Historical rooms are the upper half and the lower right corner.

The curious story of the separation of these stones for half a century and their final reunion, was graphically told in theNew Mexican ofOctober 2, 1897, from which we extract it:

"The Historical Society has recently come into

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possession of a valuable and interesting relic through the kindness of Hon. Amado Chaves.

"This is an important portion of the altar piece, which was in the Military church on the plaza. Those who are familiar with the HistoricaI rooms will all remember a portion of the same stone altar piece which stands near the door, and was kindly contributed years ago by Dr. Enos Andrews. The altar piece was of limestone, carved in high relief; the virgin and child occupying an oval in the center, surrounded by carefully wrought flowers and birds. The inscription, as far as it appears on the pieces now in the Historical rooms, is as follows:

"'ANO DE 1791. ESTA, FABA. SE HYZO CON EL COSTO DE OCHO MIL P.'

"It appears that when the altar piece was removed from the church the three pieces of stone of which it was composed were separated, and were used as ornamental signs on the principal public buildings, the coat of arms of Mexico being carved on the back of each, and the original carving being turned to the wall and imbedded in masonry. The section now recovered bears no inscription, but that which has been long on exhibition was used at the postoffice and is carved with the words 'Correos de Santa Fe.'

"If stones were animate and could express their feelings, what an interesting reunion would have taken place when these two stones, which for long years had formed part of one artistic design, but had now been separated for over half a century, were

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once more united! What experiences each could relate to the other of the events in the intervening period, including the time of the American occupation and of the month when the Confederates held the city! It is certainly to be hoped that in time the third piece may come to the Historical society, and the artistic work be seen in its entirety.

"In connection with this interesting historic relic we print the following sketch of the 'Castrence,' the real name of which was 'The Church of Our Lady of Light,' which has been furnished by an excellent authority:

"'Once upon a time there was a church in the city of Santa Fe, built and used for the special benefit of the Spanish soldiers. This church was of the exact size of the Guadalupe church which is standing today. The troops were all in the habit of attending services once a month and on special occasions. These special occasions were frequent; whenever the soldiers went out after the savage Indians and returned victorious to the capital, bringing captives to be made Christians, a special high mass was celebrated in the Castrence and a solemn Te Deum sung in acknowledgment to the Most High for the happy result of the expedition. The altar of the old church contained many valuable paintings and in the center there was a carved stone which at that time was considered the most valuable of its kind in the territory. Many years ago Don Simon Delgado gave the property at present occupied by the San Miguel college in exchange to Bishop Lamy for the Castrence. He at

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once tore down the church and built his home upon the historic site. During the time of Governor Armijo, he made it a custom never to fail to attend services at the Castrence, once a month, with all the troops, accompanied by his staff in full uniform. The grave yard of the chapel was on the site where the Spiegelberg block is now situated. The remains were removed when that block was put up, and the bones were inferred near the cathedral.'"

10.1. A CURIOUS INCIDENT
There is no doubt of the truth of the general features of the following incident, as it is referred to by many contemporaneous authorities, but there are different versions, particularly of the portion relating to the military officer's interference in favor of Governor Vigil's protest, which we give as the weight of testimony seems to indicate.

New Mexico was organized into a Territory by the celebrated "Henry Clay Compromise" adopted in 1850, to take effect on New Year's Day of 1851. Judge Grafton Baker was the first chief justice, and some difficulty was experienced in finding appropriate quarters for the holding of the district court, over which he presided. The first term was held in the spring of 1851, and Judge Baker, probably without much thought, finding the Castrense centrally located and unused, made arrangements for holding the court in that building. All the necessary furniture was procured and arranged, the court was opened and the grand jury installed, except the last

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two members, who were Donaciano Vigil and Domingo Fernandez. On being called to be sworn, Mr. Vigil, who had been secretary and governor under the provisional military government, informed the judge that the place in which they were assembled was consecrated to sacred objects, that the forefathers of himself and many others present were buried there, that he protested against the use of the chapel for civil purposes and could not quietly permit such a desecration of the church and of the ashes of his ancestors.

The judge, we are told, was inclined to insist in holding the court there and even to arrest Governor Vigil, when the commanding officer of the troops present turned to Vigil and said, "Stand firm and these troops and their cannon will sustain you." The judge on seeing the feeling that was aroused succumbed to the weight of public opinion and moved the court to the Governor's Palace, but not until nearly all the furniture had been thrown into the street by a tumultuous crowd of people which had rapidly assembled. "We see from this," says the narrator, "a proof of what may be done by the resolution of one man of principle when he believes that he is right! Alas, now we have not such material!"

The pueblo of Cochití is situated about thirty miles southwest of Santa Fe, on the west bank of the Rio Grande, three miles north of the town of Pea Blanca. It contains about 350 Indians of the Queres stock and several Mexican families who have been settled there since 1828. It has always been closely associated with Santo Domingo and San Felipe, which are its neighbors on the south. The country to the north is quite rough, consisting of a plateau deeply indented by a series of deep caons or gorges, through which the heavy rainfall on the Jemez Mountains rushes to the Rio Grande. The high areas of tableland between these caons, each narrowing near the river to a point which we would call a cape if it were surrounded by water, are called "potreros," and each has a distinctive name. This whole section of the country, from Cochití north almost to the Santa Clara River, was once thickly inhabited, and is covered with the remains of houses and with some of the most interesting ruins on the continent. Travelers and archæologists of the highest character declare that a square area of territory, thirty miles from north to south and with an equal width from east to west, situated in this section, contains

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far more ruins than the whole continent of Europe.

Here is the Painted Cave (Cueva Pintada) and here are the celebrated Stone Lions of Cochití which certainly constitute the most important piece of aboriginal sculpture in the United States. Professor Bandelier lived in the pueblo for a number of months in 1881, and located the scene of his remarkable book,The Delight Makers,in the Caada de Cochití and the Rio de los Frijoles.

This is one of the most interesting of the pueblos

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and is easy of access either from Santa Fe or Albuquerque. If going by rail, the tourist will stop at Domingo station, and then take a wagon to the pueblo. The two pueblos of Santo Domingo and Cochití can very well be visited on the same trip; and if one is spending the summer in New Mexico it is easy to arrange to be present at the great annum festival at each of these pueblos, as that of Cochití is held on the 14th of July and that of Santo Domingo just three weeks later, on August 4th.

The patron saint of Cochití is San Buenaventura, and this fixes the time of the festival, which is on his saint's day. The Indians of Santo Domingo, Cochití, San Felipe, Santa Ana, and Zia are all of the same family, or "Nation," as the old Spaniards always expressed it; and all of these pueblos can be visited on the same general tour. If considerable time is available, the itinerary can be arranged so as to include a visit to the pueblo of Jemez as well as the remarkable Jemez Springs, and bring the traveler to Santa Ana in time for the annual festival there on July 26th.

The pueblo of Cochií is rather irregularly laid out, probably on account of the inequalities of the surface of the ground on which it is built. A deep arroyo or gulch, dry during nearly all of the year, but carrying a violent and boiling stream of water when the heavy rains occur in the mountains, divides the town, about three-quarters of the houses being on the north side and the remainder, looking rather isolated and lonesome, on the south. The houses, while built

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principally of adobe, have stone foundations, and usually a row of stones on the top of each wall as a protection against destruction by the elements. The older houses are two stories high and similar in form to those usual in all of the Rio Grande pueblos; but the new ones are but one story in height, and in many cases are entered by doors and lighted by windows which tell of another civilization, for they are the result of the rapid work in some modern steam planing mill.

As is usual in the Pueblo towns, the church is the one large and conspicuous building, the desires of the people as to their residences not having gone beyond the necessaries and a few of the plain comforts of a simple peasant life. The patron of Cochití is San Buenaventura, the eminent follower of St. Francis, to whom it was natural that the pious Franciscans should dedicate one of their central Missions; and two statues of this saint, one of which is four feet high, with a cross in the right hand and a book in the left, and the other much smaller but oddly dressed in a robe of brilliant green, are to be seen on the altar. The principal picture, in the central and highest place on the wall above, is also of this saint, and the other paintings which constitute the reredos represent scenes in the life of our Lord -- the Nativity, the Transfiguration, the Last Supper, and three connected with the Crucifixion. In one of these Jesus is clad in a scarlet robe, while one Roman soldier places the crown of thorns on his head and another presents the hyssop to his lips; and the others

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are of scenes on the way to Calvary. Several of these paintings are of real merit and value, though they show too plainly the signs of age and neglect. The ceiling above the chancel is grotesquely painted with geometrical figures in high colors, red and yellow and black, while representations of moons, horses, etc., are interspersed without any apparent design. Nothing could be more incongruous than the impressive features of touching scenes painted by master hands and these crude efforts of Indians entirely untrained in art. But those responsible for this modern improvement were evidently proud of their achievement, as the names thus to be immortalized are conspicuously exhibited: "Agustin, Gov; Juan Antonio, 1871."

The church is thirty-four feet wide, outside measurement, by almost exactly one hundred feet in length, and the chancel measures fourteen by twentytwo feet. There are thirty-eight great vigas which support the roof, two or three of them being especially large, and nearly all are ornamented with more or less carving. The only means of lighting the church when the door is closed is by one window on the south side and one in the chancel.

There is a gallery over the entrance, fifteen feet wide and supported by a very strong cross timber which in turn rests on two posts with the usual carved capitals. A balustrade runs along the edge of this gallery, both for beauty and protection. The gallery does not possess the modern convenience of stairs but is reached by a ladder which is curious

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and interesting because it was made by the Indians of the pueblo entirely of wood, without the use of a single nail or piece of metal of any kind.

The interior does not differ materially from that of the churches in other pueblos; on the side walls are the usual stations of the cross in modern form; but of more interest to the tourist are ten of the wall candlesticks, made of tin with the peculiar ornamentation which was in vogue before the American Occupation, and which were brought from Chihuahua in the days of the Santa Fe Trail.

As before stated, the church is well provided with statues, all of wood, and all of them representing San Buenaventura, the patron saint of the pueblo; the only disadvantage of such a goodly number being that they bear no resemblance to each other. This, however, seems not to detract at all from the reverence with which they are all regarded.

The first is a really beautiful statue of the modern French type, fully five feet high, with a purple robe over a brown gown, and carries a pen in the right hand and a book in the left. This was a gift to the church from the good Sisters at Santa Fe, and was received with much ceremony and great rejoicing on the part of the Indians, in 1901.

The second is a trifle smaller, about five and a half feet high, with a circular halo around the head, which adds largely to its saint-like appearance. This statue also carries a book in the left hand, but instead of a pen has a bunch of flowers in the right. There are also flowers fastened in its breast. This statue

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has special local interest, as it was made in the pueblo itself some years ago by an Indian who came from Old Mexico.

The third is much smaller and more antique. It is but eighteen inches high and is dressed in a lavender gown with a purple cord, and is decorated with many strings of beads.

The first of the "santos," as statues of this class are always called, has a thoughtful, shaven face, and is a fine piece of French workmanship. The second has a smooth, oval countenance, like that of a girl. The third -- the small one -- has rather a hard and forbidding expression and its visage wears a black beard and a well developed moustache.

It would be difficult to imagine three figures more dissimilar; and while the last is far from being attractive in its appearance, we are told that it is much the most popular among the Indians, probably because it is the oldest and has represented the patron saint through many generations.

The Cochití festival is one which it is always a delight to attend. While the population is much smaller than that of Santo Domingo, and consequently the number of dancers is not so large, yet these people are so hospitable and good natured that there is always a feeling of "being at home" that does not exist elsewhere.

The festival itself is of the same general character as that in its larger and prouder neighbor, the chief feature being a "tabla" dance of the usual type, which lasts from the time of the church service to

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the end of the day. A booth is prepared in advance in the principal plaza of the town, covered with branches without and lined with gorgeous blankets within, and in this is an improvised altar made of a table covered with more of the finest blankets in the pueblo.

At eight o'clock the tall standards are displayed at the two estufas, and an hour later the capitan de la guerra--the war captain--who in these peaceful days is the master of ceremonies at all public functions, makes formal proclamation in the name of the governor of the pueblo.

This is followed by the religious ceremonies of the church, which are conducted by the clergy from Pena Blanca, within whose parish Cochití is situated. This is quite similar to the services on like occasions in other pueblos, so that no special description is necessary. At its conclusion, a procession is formed, which marches from the church to the booth in somewhat the following order, the object being to carry the "santos" to the altar prepared for them there:

First comes the cross-bearer, who is generally an Indian, not in native costume, but in "citizen" clothes with the exception of a coat.

He is followed by two bearers of giant candles, placed on standards fully six feet in height.

Then comes the canopy, a square frame covered with cloth and supported by poles at the four corners, the whole being carried by the Indians who are honored by selection for that purpose.

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Under this are carried all three of the statues of the patron saint, San Buenaventura.

This is followed by the attending priest or priests, and then by girls chanting an anthem, and general procession.

The church bells ring continually and guns are discharged, until the "santos" are safely placed on the altar in the booth. The priests then retire, but the people come to the booth all through the day, kneeling and kissing the hems of the garments of the "santos," and leaving their offerings of loaves of bread, melons, and of fruit and vegetables of all available kinds.

The procession is not very long, for this is a busy day and everyone is fully occupied. Those who are to take part in the dance require time for the necessary preparation, for the dresses have to be ceremonially correct; and on these occasions all of the most gorgeous blankets and beautiful jewelry of silver, turquoise, and coral, which constitute the riches of the people, are displayed; and others are busy welcoming the visitors who crowd all of the houses, and arranging the food to which everyone is welcome on this day of universal hospitality.

Soon the dance begins, each estufa being represented by about forty participants, half men and half women; the two sides dancing alternately throughout the day. Each side has its orchestra of sixteen musicians who chant the prayers that are the central motive of the whole affair; and to amuse both old and young, each estufa contributes its quota of Delight

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Makers, grotesquely painted and full of harmless jokes, as characteristic a feature on all such occasions among the Pueblo Indians as are the clowns in the circuses among the Caucasian race.

Of the dancers the women all wear "tablas," the high wooden head dress made of thin boards painted green and cut into various shapes; the men have green feathers on top of their heads.

The musicians are dressed in baggy white cotton pantaloons, with white cotton shirts hanging nearly to the knees and bound around the waist by a bright colored belt, and a vest open in front. Moccasins on the feet, a band of brilliant red around the head, and a tuft of red worsted braided with the back hair, complete the toilet.

All through the afternoon the dancers from the two estufas relieve each other, until near the setting of the sun. Half an hour before the closing, both bands of dancers appear at the same time, each with its own standard and its own musicians. They dance separately but close together and occasionally form one long line of all the participants.

Suddenly one division stops dancing and is drawn up in a double line at the south end of the plaza, with its standard erect. The other division forms opposite to the first. Then the drum ceases to sound and is carried away, and the two divisions unite, with both standards in front.

A gun is fired. The church bell rings loudly. The "canopy" is raised and the three "santos" taken from the booth and placed beneath it. All form in

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procession and the line of march is taken to the church, where the statues are restored to their places.

The great ceremonial dance is ended!

During the Pueblo Revolution of 1680, Cochití was in the storm center, as Santo Domingo on one side and Jemez on the other were among the most determined of the pueblos in their opposition to the Spaniards. At the same time it was one of the few pueblos in which the priest was not killed on the 10th of August.

There is a tradition current in the pueblo as to the reason that the resident priest was not murdered here at the beginning of the rebellion of 1680, as so many of his brethren were, at Jemez, Santo Domingo, and other pueblos.

It is said that the sacristan of the church, who was an Indian, and consequently acquainted with the conspiracy, was greatly attached to his spiritual master, and could not bear the thought of having his blood upon his head. So just on the eve of the uprisinghe informed the priest that that night every Spaniard found in the village would be massacred. The padre in consternation asked how it was possible to escape, and was informed that it was impossible except through some disguise, as every attempt to leave the town would only hasten his destruction. "But," said the sacristan, "I have a plan. Take these zapatos [Indian sandal shoes], throw this manta over your shoulders, and carry this tenaja [water jar] in your hand. Go down to the river at

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dusk, as if for water. No one will suspect you while so dressed and carrying the tenaja. Then cross the river and fly for your life." The priest followed the advice, and escaped to San Felipe, where he met a body of friends and so was saved.

When De Vargas came on his first expedition in 1692, he found the pueblo of Cochití deserted, although the fields were cultivated; but the people had moved to what they considered a place of safety, with many other Indians from San Marcos and San Felipe. After some negotiations and promises of immunity they were induced to return to their pueblo on October 20th. However, before the second expedition of De Vargas in the succeeding year, the pueblo was again deserted and the people had established themselves in a very strong position on the Potrero Viejo above the Canada de Cochití. San Felipe, Santa Ana, and Zia were now friendly to the Spaniards, but the potrero was occupied by the combined forces of Cochití and Santo Domingo, with additions from San Marcos and Jemez. It is a bold and picturesque rock jutting out above the canon, at a height of seven hundred feet, and was considered impregnable. Here occurred the decisive battle of the reconquest on the night of April 21, 1694, when the combined armies of the Spaniards and their Indian allies finally captured the fortress-like town, with no less than three hundred and forty-two women and children;--a victory which was followed by the burning of the mountain pueblo and the enforced

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return of the people to the old village by the river.

The church, which had been desecrated in 1680, and was in ruins, was rebuilt or repaired, no change being made in its location, and there it remains to this day.

A glimpse into the life of these people more than a hundred years ago can be had by looking into the old parish registry books of baptisms and marriages and deaths. You will find some of them, yellowed with age, and bound in wrinkled leather or vellum, at the house of the priest in charge. Outwardly they are not inviting, but the pages within show the careful record of each event, formally set forth, and in so concise a hand that four or five of the full entries are found on a single page. These are not the oldest books of registry, for unfortunately those are missing, and the principal set of those remaining begins May 18, 1776, just before our American Declaration of Independence, when the volumes were formally presented to the priest in charge by Mariano Rodriguez de la Torre, vice custodian; and the first act of the recipient appears to have been to number the leaves and certify on the first page that the book contained just so many "including the first and the last," so that no interpolation or destruction could falsify the record. The priest at that time was Fr. Estanislao Mariano de Manulanda, with whom spelling was evidently not the strongest point, but who added to his name a most elaborate rubric. Then,

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in April, 1778, came Fr. Jose Madrano, who wrote a flowing hand and was satisfied with a simpler hieroglyphical sign manual; and after him, in January of the next year, came Fr. Antonio Cavallero, who ministered to these poor people for many long years and recorded the deaths of almost a generation. His was a round, careful hand, each letter being perfect by itself, and we watch it through the old volumes till age brought a tremor to the good man's writing, and after seeing the beginning of the new century he ended his labors in June, 1801.

Each record begins "En esta Yglesia y Mission de San Buenaventura de Cochití de los Queres," and the Christian names of the parties are always Spanish while the surnames are pure Indian, represented as well as the padre could do it, in our letters; and when in case of marriages either of the parties had been married before, the former partner is named. Thus under date of January 12, 1779, we have Juan Roque Saiguitigua, widower of the late Cathalina Hiuiu, married to Maria Iqutaquia, widow of the late Miguel Zayatigua; while the next record tells of the union of two younger hearts in the persons of Miguel Huic and Ana Maria Sihai, a bachelor and a maiden.

To show the general style of Cochití names, comparatively few of which are heard now, the following have been collected from these records: Atziotza, Aitihiza, Cayatiza, Cuco, Cautlungua, Chigua, Catzuitza, Chapana, Cubuatigua, Capisi, Caitigua, Cauca, Camuya, Cutzuxi, Cautiguiatza, Giguez, Hayzi, Juguatz, Kaiguiya, Kaizero, Kaina, Munre, Machugue,

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Onagre, Quillaytza, Quinya, Quiastigua, Quiaguada, Raiguitigua, Baiti˜i, Ruisiba, Saya, Siyaguiugui, Satague, Taatigua, Tullatza, Tiguatigua, Taquiaya, Tzitizuguuitza, Uaucitigua, Uxitigua, Zuzico, Zaiquiutegua, Zahaha, Zuesa, Yutiza.

The frequency of the termination "tigua" or "tegua" among these names, is noticeable and suggestive.

Santo Domingo is one of the most interesting of the pueblos. To those who desire to see the best example of an Indian ceremonial dance it is the most important of all, for there is no dance elsewhere to compare with that of the 4th of August at Santo Domingo. This has become so well known that travelers from the east arrange the time of their western tours so as to be in central New Mexico in the beginning of August, and make their attendance at this famous festival the central point of their travels.

The dance itself does not differ materially from the "tabla" dances in several of the other pueblos, but the greater population of Santo Domingo affords a large number both men and women from whom to select the dancers, and a much longer line of participants. While the number of those taking part in the dances varies from year to year, it will average about eighty from each estufa, or 160 in all; with orchestras or bands of about forty each, and nearly or quite ten Koshare or Delight Makers; so that altogether the number engaged in the ceremonies reaches 250. The orchestras are composed of the older men, whose dancing days are over.

Another reason that this is the most satisfactory

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dance to see is that in Santo Domingo the public authorities control all of the proceedings and preserve perfect order; whereas in some of the pueblos situated in the midst of large Mexican populations--like Isleta or Santa Clara--the town is overrun by young men and boys on the festival day, and the occasion becomes more a Mexican holiday than a Pueblo one.

No festival is more easy to attend than that of Santo Domingo. The distance to Domingo station is not great, and usually extra trains are run between Santa Fe and Albuquerque and the nearest point on the railroad to the pueblo. The carriage roads from both north and south are excellent, and the most satisfactory way in which to enjoy the occasion is to arrive at the pueblo on the preceding afternoon and have the benefit of the preliminary ceremonies during the evening and early morning.

The pueblo is situated on the east bank of the Rio Grande a little above the mouth of the Galisteo. For its own good it is even too near the Rio Grande del Norte, and if we were accurately to give the locality of the old town we should have to say that it is situated one half in the river and one half on its eastern bank. For a number of years ago, in one of those occasional seasons when the sudden melting of the Colorado snows sends the water down in a great irresistible torrent, the river overflowed its banks, swept away hundreds of acres of land and buried half of the great pueblo beneath its waters. These calamities are not like the overflowing of low lands,

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which may be used again when the water recedes. The spot on which Santo Domingo is built is high above the stream, but the torrent washing against the bank caused it to fall as it was undermined--the place which yesterday was covered with houses becoming today a part of the bed of the river. And so in less than a week a half of the pueblo was absolutely destroyed, the very soil on which the houses stood being carried down by the swift water towards the Gulf of Mexico.

The result is curious and makes this pueblo one of the most interesting to the visitor, for on the bank of the river stands one half of the old pueblo, composed of rows of houses built in the ancient style, two stories high and terraced, entered by ladders, and without entrance to the lower rooms from the street.

East of this, with an irregular plaza between them, is what may be called the new town, composed of the residences of those who lost their houses in the flood, and who have rebuilt in more modern style. The houses here are generally one story high, entered by doors from the street, many of them having "portales" or balconies, and some with a little yard enclosed with a neat "tapia" or wall of adobes in front. So that in the two sides of the town we have represented the architecture of centuries ago, when wars prevailed and convenience had to give way to safety, and the controlling idea was that of making the house a fortress; and the improved style of more modern days, when the fear of invasion or attack has

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passed away, and ease of access and comfort of living are the points specially to be provided for.

The town covers a space stretching a little over a quarter of a mile from the river to the line of corrals which form its eastern border and about as much in width, and is built in long lines of houses extending from west to east at right angles with the river and separated by streets that vary from fifty to one hundred feet in width; there are five of these rows of houses, ranging from twenty to one hundred feet in width, all those in the new town with not more than two exceptions one story in height, while the older part of town is very irregular in its architecture. Like several others of the larger pueblos Santo Domingo possesses two estufas, one near the center of the old town and the other a little east of the central plaza among the newer houses. Each is approached by a staircase or set of steps made of hard adobe and stone, extending from the ground to the roof of the estufa, and leading to a square opening from which descends a ladder to the floor within, which is as hard and level as though made of cut stone. Each estufa is about fifty feet in diameter and about ten feet high.

Among the old parish registers still in existence are many records which throw light on the life of the inhabitants of Santo Domingo more than a century ago. One of these record books now preserved at Pena Blanca contains nearly an equal number of entries of "naturales" (Pueblo Indians) and "vecinos"

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(Spaniards), the first certificate being of the marriage of Luiz Quiteria and Maria Caieza on the 17th of February, 1771, "en esta mission de N. P. Sto. Domgo de los Queres"--"at this mission of Our Father St. Dominick of the Queres." As at other pueblos at that time, the surnames are all Indian, while the Christian names are Spanish, as appears above. In a baptism early in 1772, the child receiving that sacrament is mentioned as Jacinta, legitimate daughter of Agapito Chitaxa, and the godmother was Ignes Quehaza.

The people seem to have been scrupulously particular in their outward conformity to the ceremonies of the Church, nearly every record of burial stating that the deceased made his confession and received extreme unction, and the register of the exceptional cases carefully mentioning that the last sacraments were not administered because the death was too sudden. In this a great change seems to have taken place during the next century, as at present it is quite rare for any Indian of Santo Domingo to come to the confessional, and even in times of sickness they are averse to receiving Christian ministrations. In this connection we may mention some of the ceremonies which it is believed are usually performed in infancy and after death, even when Christian baptism immediately follows in the former case.

It is said that on the fourth day of its existence each child is taken from its mother by a woman who is a near friend and carried to the summit of a neighboring hill at the time of the rising of the sun.

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Then, as the great luminary appears, the woman holds up the child and scatters sacred meal toward the east, using a form of invocation and dedication, and finally puts meal into the tiny hand of the new born child and causes it also to throw it toward the brilliant object of their ancient worship.

The sun, the moon, the evening and morning star, and the rainbow, seem to be more or less sacred objects in many of the pueblos; and in several the vibora or rattlesnake is held in veneration which is akin to worship.

Four days seem to constitute the important period at both the beginning and the close of life, for there is a general belief that the soul after passing from the body remains around its old abode for four days before taking its final departure to the spirit world. For this reason the door of the house of death is not closed during that period, a blanket being hung over the entrance, so as not to interfere with the return of the lost one to seek the shelter of its old home; and within are placed bread and meat, water and tobacco, that the spirit may eat, drink, and smoke.

The original settlement of the ancestors of the Santo Domingo Indian was in a place called Guypuy, the ruins of which are still to be seen about two miles east of Domingo station on the banks of the Galisteo River. Tradition states that the town was destroyed by an extraordinary flood in the Galisteo, and the people then moved to the present location on the Rio Grande. This was long ago, as Onate, when traveling up the valley of the Rio Grande in 1598,

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found the pueblo located as at present, except as since washed out by the river floods.

After the establishment of the colonial government at San Gabriel, when the territory was divided into seven missionary provinces, Santo Domingo was named as the headquarters of the province of the Queres, and Fr. Juan de Rosas was placed in charge. Less than ten years thereafter, in 1607, the first church was built by Fr. Juan de Escalona, then the official head of the Franciscans, who remained in Santo Domingo until his death and was buried in the church which was a monument to his zealous labors.

At the time of the Pueblo Revolution, Santo Domingo was the scene of more martyrdoms than any other town, for it was the headquarters of a district which included San Felipe and Cochití and had a large convento which afforded ample accommodations for the three priests who lived there together--Fathers Lorenzaria, Talaban, and Montes de Oca. All three were killed on the first day of the uprising, August 10th; and when Governor Otermin on his retreat to El Paso, just two weeks later, stopped at Santo Domingo, which he found deserted, with his sad caravan of 1,500 men, women, and children, they broke open the doors of the church, which were securely fastened, and saw a great heap of earth in the middle of the floor; and on removing this discovered the dead bodies of the three priests buried in that hastily made tomb. Each was clad in the habit of the Franciscan order; and there Otermin was compelled to leave them, to continue his hasty flight.

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Strange to say, the Indians had not taken anything from the church; all the vessels, ornaments, and pictures remained intact, and were taken possession of by the priests from Santa Fe and carried down to El Paso.

The old Mission Church was one of the largest and finest in New Mexico, but unfortunately, like much of the original town, it now lies at the bottom of the Rio Grande. After the first great flood had carried away nearly half of the houses, the river continued to encroach, little by little, every year at the time of the spring freshet. It was a gradual process of undermining and the line of destruction soon approached the location of the church. The Indians made desperate efforts to save the great building, of which they were justly proud, from destruction. Each spring they brought great trees and multitudes of evergreens, with which to make a barrier that would withstand the rush of the waters and prevent any additional erosion of the cliff. But the end was as inexorable as fate. Each year saw the line of the perpendicular wall move nearer and nearer to the cherished structure, and at length, in 1886, further resistance was useless, the foundations fell into the seething torrent, and soon not a vestige remained of the massive walls and the sacred precincts which had been hallowed for generations.

Before the final catastrophe, everything movable was carried away from the church; but the great structure itself is gone forever.

The only illustration which we can give of this old

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historic mission, is a picture of the carved double door which was its entrance. Each side had upon it, in high relief, a large escutcheon with a coat of arms surmounted by a crown, and it was admittedlythe most notable piece of wood carving of its kind in the whole of New Mexico. The photograph from which this is reproduced, was taken in stereopticon form in 1880 by W. Henry Brown, an artist then living in Santa Fe, to whom we are indebted for two

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or three other pictures made at that time. That which adds peculiar interest to this illustration is the lifelike figure of A. F. Bandelier, then an ardent worker in the archæological field in which he afterwards became so distinguished, who is apparently studying the heraldic carving.

If we have no engraving of the church, we have a description of it in the journal of Lieutenant Pike, written while being conducted from Santa Fe to Chihuahua, under the orders of Governor Alencaster in 1807. Under date of Friday, March 5th, he writes:

"5th March, Friday, 1807.

"We arrived at the village of Santo Domingo at two o'clock. It is on the east side of the Rio del Norte, and is a large village, the population being about 1000 natives, generally governed by its own chief. The chiefs of the villages were distinguished by a cane with a silver head and black tassell and on our arrival at the public house captain D'Almansa was waited on by the governor of the pueblo, cap in hand, to receive his orders as to the furnishing of our quarters and ourselves with wood, water, provisions, &c.; for the house itself contained nothing but bare walls arid small grated windows.

"After we had refreshed ourselves a little, the captain sent for the keys of the church; when we entered it, I was much astonished to find enclosed in mud-brick walls, many rich paintings, and the Saint (Domingo) as large as life, elegantly ornamented with gold and silver; the captain made a slight inclination of the head, and intimated to me, that this

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was the patron of the village. We then ascended into the gallery, where the choir are generally placed. In an outside hall was placed another image of the saint, less richly ornamented, where the populace repaired daily, and knelt to return thanks for benefactions received, or to ask new favors. Many young girls, indeed, chose the time of our visit to be on their knees before the holy patron. From the fiat roof of the church we had a delightful view of the village; the Rio del Norte on our west, the mountains of Sandia to the south, and the valley round the town, on which were numerous herds of goats, sheep and asses; and upon the whole, this was one of the handsomest views in New Mexico."

We have another glimpse into the life of the pueblo, not indeed of the church, but of the house of the priest or convento which immediately adjoined it, as described by Lieutenant Emory of General Kearny's staff. It was at the beginning of Kearny's celebrated march from Santa Fe to California. The first night had been passed near La Bajada, and on the morning of September 3d the General received an invitation to visit Santo Domingo. On the way they were met by the governor of the pueblo and other officials, and soon afterwards a party of Indians, fantastically dressed, appeared on horseback and performed various evolutions. Soon they arrived in the town, and here we copy from Emory's report:

"We were escorted first to the padre's, of course; for here, as everywhere, these men are the most intelligent and the most well to do, and when the good

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people wish to put their best foot foremost, the padre's wines, beds, and couches have to suffer. The entrance to the portal was lined with the women of the village, all dressed alike, and ranged in treble files.

"We were shown into his reverence's parlor, tapestried with curtains, stamped with the likenesses of all the Presidents of the United States up to this time. The cushions were of spotless damask, and the couch covered with a white Navajoe blanket worked in richly colored flowers.

"The air was redolent with the perfume of grapes and melons and every crack of door and windows glistened with the bright eyes of the women of the capilla. We had our gayest array of young men out today and the women seemed to drop their usual subdued look for hearty signs of cordial welcome; signs supplying the place of conversation as neither party could speak the language of the other. This little exchange of the artillery of eyes was amusing enough, but I was very glad to see the padre move towards the table and remove the pure white napkins from the grapes, melons and wine. We were as thirsty as heat and dust could make us, and we relished it highly. The sponge cake was irreproachable, and would have done honor to any good housekeeper. After the repast the general went forward on the portal and delivered a speech to the assembled people of the town which was first interpreted into Spanish and then into Pueblo."

Since the destruction of the old church, a new one

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has been erected, east of the town, and in this all the usual services and ceremonies are held. It is a creditable and commodious building, but of course without historic interest, and cannot in any way be included among the old missions which are the subject of this volume. The only present point of interest arises from the recent return of the Franciscan Fathers to this scene of their early labors and of the martyrdom of three of their brethren more than two and a third centuries ago.

These three pueblos, belonging to the Queres nation, are situated so nearly together that they may be united in one chapter, although San Felipe is on the Rio Grande, and Santa Ana and Zia are on the Jemez River.

Of the other Queres towns, Cochití and Santo Domingo are treated of separately, and Acoma and Laguna, which are included among the Queres although the language varies somewhat, are so distinct from the Rio Grande pueblos that they also require individual consideration and a chapter is devoted to each.

13.1. SAN FELIPE
San Felipe is situated only about twelve miles from Santo Domingo, and is directly on the west bank of the Rio Grande, having a high mesa as a background. It is very conspicuous to travelers passing on the trains of the Santa Fe Railroad, as there is only the river bed between; and the railroad being slightly higher than the town, the latter seems spread out especially for inspection. The church, which directly faces the river and the railroad, presents such a dazzlingly white appearance that it never fails to attract attention. Trans-continental travelers

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on the Santa Fe line should bear in mind that there are just five existing Pueblo Indian towns that are visible from the trains. The first is Santo Domingo, about a mile west of Domingo station, and at the point where the railroad reaches the Rio Grande; a very fair view of the pueblo may be had from the north side of the train. The next is San Felipe, about twelve miles farther west and a little north of Algodones station, and of this there is a fine view from the same car windows. Farther down the river, between Bernalillo and Alameda, the railroad runs almost directly through the pueblo of

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Sandia, but there is little of interest to be seen as the little Indian village is almost swallowed by the large Mexican population of the valley.

After leaving Albuquerque and just after crossing the Rio Grande on a long bridge, at a distance of about twelve and a half miles, the train, whether going to El Paso or California, brings one to the large pueblo of Isleta. This is one of the most populous and altogether the richest of the Pueblo towns, with a vast expanse of vineyards, orchards, and gardens and an air of evident prosperity. Fifty-six miles farther west on the way to California the traveler arrives at Laguna, and will be well repaid for a short stop-over, even if he does not stay longer and visit Acoma. Until 1913 the railroad ran directly through Laguna, and of course afforded an excellent view of the pueblo, but in that year the line was changed about a mile to the north in order to avoid washouts, and the view of the town is not now as good as before.

But remembering the sequence of the Pueblo towns and the distances which separate them, one can see these five without the loss of an hour or the expenditure of a dollar, and gain a very fair knowledge of their appearance and the character of the houses which compose them.

To visit Santa Ana and Zia one must follow the Rio Grande down to the mouth of the Jemez River and then ascend the valley of the latter to the respective towns. Santa Aria lies about eight miles up the river and Zia is an additional eight miles. If

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traveling by rail, the tourist will go to Bernalillo and obtain a conveyance at that place. As these two pueblos are on the direct road to the pueblo of Jemez, the three towns may be very comfortably visited on the same trip, and, as suggested under the head of Cochití, by arranging a tour in the midsummer, a number of very interesting festivals may be attended with very little loss of time, including that of Cochití on July 14th, of Santa Ana on July 26th, of Santo Domingo on August 4th, and of Zia on August 15th.

This province of the Queres is mentioned by every one of the early explorers. Coronado (1541) calls it Quirix, Espejo (1581) Quires, and Castano (1590) Quereses.

In the first missionary organization, immediately after Onate's settlement at San Gabriel in 1598, Father Juan de Rosas was assigned to the Queres province and San Felipe and Santa Ana are named among the pueblos placed in his charge. Zia being at quite a distance from the Rio Grande, was included in the Jemez province which was put in charge of Alonzo de Lugo. No doubt churches were almost immediately built at all the principal towns, which would surely include those which we are now considering. In the list that forms part of the report made by Benavides to the king of Spain in 1630, he says of the Queres nation: "Advancing four leagues further ahead, the Queres nation commences, with its first Pueblo of San Felipe, and it stretches out for over ten leagues into seven pueblos. There are

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probably in them about four thousand souls, all baptized, with three very costly and beautiful churches and conventos, besides the ones each pueblo has. These Indians are very skillful in reading, writing and music on all instruments, and are masters in all occupations, through the great industry of the religious persons who converted them."

At the opening of the Pueblo Revolution in 1680 there were no Spaniards killed at San Felipe. There was no resident priest there, as the central convento was at Santo Domingo and the San Felipe church was served from there. It seems, however, according to Vetancurt, that there was a "capilla de musicos" there before that time, where the Indians were taught to sing church music. At the outbreak of the Revolution some Indians known to be friendly to the Spaniards were killed, but the Spaniards living in the vicinity fled to Sandia and thence to Isleta. Of course the church and everything connected with Christian worship in the old pueblo were destroyed in the first frenzy of the Revolution. During the thirteen years of Indian control the people moved from the old location of their town to the high mesa on the west side of the Rio Grande, a little above the present pueblo of San Felipe, and there they were found when De Vargas appeared in 1692. They accepted the reconquest, as most of the pueblos did in that year, and promised obedience to both the Church and State of the Castilians. When De Vargas returned in 1693 they remained faithful to their promise, as did the Indians of Zia, while their Queres

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brethren in Cochití and Santo Domingo were foremost in opposing the reëntry of the Spaniards. This brought on a fierce antagonism between those pueblos, and the men of Zia and San Felipe were invaluable allies of De Vargas. When reconquest was finally accomplished and the country pacified, a church was immediately built at the pueblo on the crest of the Black Mesa, and there its ruins remain

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today, a very conspicuous object of observation from every passing railroad train. The ruins of the old pueblo on the mesa, and the church, which is the most interesting feature, are easily reached by the tourist and will repay the trouble of a visit a hundred fold. The view from the point where the church stands, up and down the beautiful Rio Grand Valley and on the eastward across the river to the picturesque profiles of the Tuerto and Sandia mountains, is one of unsurpassed extent and grandeur. The pueblo was built in a square, open toward the river but presenting a solid wall on the other three sides, being two hundred and fifty feet long by one hundred and ninety feet in width. The church, which is situated at the northeast corner on the very edge of the almost perpendicular wall of the mesa, measures fifty-four by twenty feet.

In the early part of the eighteenth century the high situation on the mesa was found to be too inconvenient for life in peaceful days, and the people again moved the entire town to its present location near the bank of the river, still retaining for the pueblo its original name of Kat-isht-ya. Here the present church was erected, and still serves the needs of the people. It is cared for most faithfully, being whitened every year until it glistens in the bright sunlight. An interesting feature connected with its recent history is that the followers of St. Francis, who founded the mission more than three hundred years ago, and baptized, married, and buried generation after generation of its people, until practically

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expelled by the Mexican government in 1823, have returned to the field of their ancient labors and are again ministering to the descendants of their old converts. On July 9, 1900, after three-quarters of a century of absence, they resumed charge of the mission, in connection with those of Santo Domingo and Cochití, and the large parish which has its center at Pena Blanca.

13.2. ZIA AND SANTA ANA
The only Queres towns which still remain in the valley of the Jemez River are Santa Ana and Zia. All the others of the group which existed in the times of Coronado and Espejo have been abandoned or destroyed.

The first that was known of these towns was toward the end of the winter of 1540-41 when Coronado was making his winter quarters at Tihuex on the Rio Grande not very far from the modern Bernalillo. During the winter various explorations had been made, and, as spring opened, a captain with a small detachment of soldiers was directed to visit the pueblo of Chia, situated about four leagues north from the Rio Grande. In the old chronicles the name of this town is variously spelled Cia, Zia, Chia, Tsia, and Tria, but all unmistakably point to the same place on the Jemez River. The inhabitants are always spoken of as industrious and prosperous people, and when visited by the Spaniards they had the good sense to submit without opposition to the authority claimed by the new-comers, and when Coronado marched to the east in search of the illusive

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Quivira, as a mark of special confidence, the four old bronze cannon which he had brought with infinite labor from Mexico, were left in their charge.

Forty years pass before the veil is again lifted and Zia is again seen. This time it is Espejo who is the discoverer. He tells of a visit to the province of the Cumanes, with five towns, the principal one of which was named Zia, and was a large pueblo having eight plazas or market places, and houses plastered or painted in many colors. The people were very generous and provided the Spaniards with an abundance of provisions and beautiful mantas made of cotton, which compared favorably with those then made in Europe or brought from China.

After the establishment of Onate's colony at San Gabriel, when the Franciscan missionaries were sent out into separate districts, Santa Ana was among the towns apportioned to Father Juan de Rosas, whose headquarters were on the Rio Grande; and Zia was assigned to Father Alonzo de Lugo who was located at Jemez. Both of these padres were energetic men, and it is probable that a church was built in each of these towns within a very few years. According to Benavides' report, made in 1630, there were seven churches in the Queres province at that time, of which at least three must have been in the Jemez Valley, and Zia and Santa Ana were probably the most important of these. After the Pueblo Revolution of 1680 we hear only of those two towns on the Jemez River in this vicinity; the others had evidently been destroyed or abandoned.

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In 1687, when Governor Cruzate attempted the reconquest of New Mexico, General Reneros de Posada marched up from El Paso as far as Zia, where on October 6th a decisive battle was fought with the Indians from the neighboring towns, who were defeated with great loss; no less than six hundred being killed and seventy taken prisoners. These latter were condemned to slavery for ten years, except a few old men who were shot in the plaza. This is always referred to in histories as the "Battle of Zia."

Five years later when De Vargas came on his first expedition of reconquest, Zia and Santa Ana made no resistance, but were recovered to the Spanish authority both in Church and State. The reception of the governor and the accompanying priests in October, 1692, was a very notable occurrence, and was conducted with great ceremony. The oath of allegiance then taken was faithfully kept in 1693, during the second expedition of De Vargas, and the Indians of Santa Ana and Zia became very important allies of the Spaniards. By this they incurred the enmity of their Queres brothers in Cochití and Santo Domingo, and were largely instrumental in the capture of the Cochití stronghold of the Potrero Viejo. Bartolome de Ojeda, who now was war captain of the pueblo of Santa Ana, was the leader of the loyal Indians in that vicinity in all the contests between the Spaniards and the natives from 1692 down to the decisive victory over the warriors of Jemez and their confederates in the San Diego canon in 1696.

Both Zia and Santa Ana are situated on bluffs on

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the east side of the Jemez River, which is almost a mile wide at that point, and the towns are reached by steep ascents. In Santa Ana--the original name of which is Ta-ma-ya--the houses are built of adobe, and the greater number of these are two stories high. There is one large estufa in the town, circular and forty-two feet in diameter. The windows, when they are not entirely open, are made of selenite, which is sufficiently transparent to answer the purpose and afford light. The town consists of three long rows of houses, parallel to each other, other buildings being placed irregularly, without any apparent desire for uniformity. The church is very long and built of adobe, with a tower, and a number of rooms adjoining, as was usually the case when the priest was resident. Among the noticeable contents of the church are two oval pictures, one of John the Baptist and the other of some unnamed saint, and two "santos," carved from wood, about two feet high. Over the altar is a large painting of John the Baptist and the Saviour, the latter much smaller than the Baptist, and with a dove over his head.

The pueblo of Zia is built on a bluff or mesa, without any regard to regularity of structure. The houses differ from those in other Indian villages, as they are mostly constructed of cobble-stones, with mud used as mortar. Some are two stories in height and others but one; according to the ability or necessities of the owner. The ovens are also built in the same way. The town now possesses but one estufa, and in every way is greatly reduced from its size

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and importance of three hundred years ago. Still it is highly regarded by the people of the other pueblos, and by the tribal Indians who come long distances to be present at the annual festival. This causes that fiesta to be perhaps the most brilliant in all of New Mexico, as multitudes of visitors ride in on horseback, especially from the Navajo country. The men wear magnificent blankets and the women brightly embroidered mantelas. The strings of beads displayed here on these occasions are of surpassing beauty and represent a great deal of money value, as the Navajos, as well as the Pueblo Indians of this part of New Mexico, keep what wealth they possess in this form, especially in fine coral. Long experience has taught them to be experts in the selection of fine specimens, and traders have learned that there is no imitation that can possibly deceive them. The writer knows of a case in which three horses, one with a saddle, and $20 in money, were offered for a single string of fine coral beads.

The church at Zia is located at the northern extremity of the town, almost on the edge of the mesa, and at a considerable distance from both of the plazas. It is dazzlingly white both without and within, and in front there is a yard originally used for a burial ground, surrounded by an equally dazzlingly white wall and containing in its center a great wooden cross.

Zia being dedicated to Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion, the Assumption of the Virgin is naturally the prominent event represented in the ornamentation

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of the sacred building. The altar piece, which occupies the entire west end of the church, is of carved wood with a large canvas painting of the Assumption in the center, under which is another picture of the Virgin and Child being crowned by angels. Above these is an oval frame, and between oddly formed wooden scrolls is a representation of the Saviour, with outstretched hands as if bestowing a benediction, and on the sides are four other oval pictures of saints with the quaint surroundings which characterize the Mexican work of a century ago. The whole was the pious offering of Don Victor Sandoval and his wife, whose memory is kept fresh in the minds of the grateful people by the following inscription:

"Hizo este altar

a devosion de Don

Vitor Sandoval.

Y de su esposa

Dna. Ma. Man-

uela Ortiz en el ano de

1798."

On the altar is the image of the Virgin of the Assumption, which, though small, is held in highest reverence as being the patrona and protectress of the pueblo. A silver crown rests upon her head and she is enveloped in a red mantle or robe so long that it spreads over the altar on all sides. This robe is bordered with green, the shoulders are covered with white lace, and black veiling is thrown over the entire figure. On her festival day (August 15th) this image is taken from the church and carried with great ceremony under a canopy in the procession,

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and then returned for another year to its proper position in the church.

Both plazas contain objects which immediately arrest the attention of the observing tourist. In the center of the northerly one is a square pavement made of rounded stones which is about ten feet across, and in the other are two large stones conspicuously placed, one in the center of the plaza and one about twenty feet to the southwest.

Here, also, is a large wooden cross, and by its side a piece of worn and rounded wood just eighteen inches high. There is no difficulty in ascertaining what this latter is. It is the cherished remnant, preserved for almost two hundred years, of the great cross set up by De Vargas on October 24, 1692. Only the oldest officials seem to know that the pavement and the two stones are memorials of the events of the same day. Written history tells us that when De Vargas approached, with his little army, the Indians came out to meet him, their chief in advance, all carrying crosses in their hands; and thus escorted him to the plaza. Here arches and crosses had been erected in token of amity and welcome. The governor addressed the inhabitants, explaining to them, as he had to the other pueblos, their duties to God and to the Emperor, threatening punishment to the disobedient and promising rewards to those loyal to Church and State. He then took formal possession of the pueblo, and appointed officials from among the people; and the accompanying priests, Fathers Corveto and Barrios, pronounced absolution for all the

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people for past offenses, and baptized a large number of the young who had not before received that sacrament; and the ceremonies concluded with the erection of a great cross, the chanting of hymns and the performance of the favorite dance of the people of Zia.

The tradition in the pueblo agrees substantially with this, and adds that the first meeting, where De Vargas addressed the people, was in the upper plaza, and the square paving was constructed as a memorial of that event; that the final ceremonies were performed in the lower plaza, where the great cross was placed, and that as it was being erected, De Vargas and his chief officer sat on two great stones, and those stones have consequently been preserved there unto this day. The cross was cherished and cared for with a kind of adoration, but time has done its work until only the fragment eighteen inches high remains. A new cross has replaced the old one, but the little piece of storm-worn wood, set up by the great reconqueror, is more sacred in their eyes than any structure of modern days, and more valuable than if formed of purest gold.

In recounting this history the white-haired elders of the people never mention De Vargas by any other name than that of "El Rey"--the King--he being the representative of the Spanish power and the highest official who had ever visited their country.

The most beautiful ruin in New Mexico, beyond all compare, is that of the old Mission Church at Jemez; and the most beautiful picture of a ruin in New Mexico, without any doubt, is the magnificent photograph taken of the ruins of this church by Mr. Hillers in 1876. This is one of the splendid set of photographs of the Indian pueblos made by that eminent artist for the government, which are not only a triumph of artistic skill but constitute the most valuable illustration of the life and work of the Pueblo Indians before the coming of the railroads to the Pueblo country. The illustration which we print in connection with this chapter is taken direct from the Hillers photograph, and includes all the surroundings of the ruined Mission itself, with the mountain slopes as a background. The scenery in the vicinity is of much beauty, presenting the various aspects of mountain, mesa, valley, caneon, and river.

The Jemez Springs comprise a variety of mineralization and temperature rarely found in such a limited area. The Soda Dam is a curiosity of mineral deposit which alone is well worthy of a visit. All that the Jemez region requires to make it a favorite

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resort, both for health and pleasure, is more convenient transportation. At present, the best methods of reaching it are by carriage or automobile from Albuquerque or Bernalillo, or by driving or riding directly across the country from Pena Blanca.

The history of Jemez, so far as it has any connection with Europeans, began with the visit of Barrio-Nuevo, an officer of Coronado's army, in 1541. This occurred while Coronado was himself on the eastern plains seeking the famed Quivira, but the main body of his expedition had returned to Tihuex on the Rio Grande, under command of Arellano, and was awaiting the reappearance of its chief. With the double purpose of seeking new discoveries and obtaining supplies for the winter, Arellano sent expeditions in various directions.

Zia had previously been visited, but Captain Francisco de Barrio-Nuevo was directed to explore the country much farther to the north. He marched up the Jemez River to Zia, and then proceeded farther along the stream to Jemez, finding a continuous population in the beautiful valley and being well received by the people. From Jemez he crossed to the eastward, probably following the canon of Santa Clara Creek to the Rio Grande, and then along the west side of that river to Yuque-Yunque at the mouth of the Chama, where the vicinity of the present Chamita station is still called Yunque. The captain was evidently a good explorer, as he penetrated to the north as far as Taos, and was the first European discoverer of that pueblo, as is narrated in the chapter relating to its Mission.

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The return of Coronado to Mexico, early in the next year, left the Indians of Jemez in undisturbed tranquility, with only a recollection, which must have seemed like an imaginary dream, of the brief appearance among them of the bearded white men from afar, with strange language and stranger weapons, who had come and gone almost in a day.

Forty years passed and then Espejo appeared with his little company, after visiting Zia and enjoying the hospitality of its generous people. This zealous explorer describes the Jemez province (he gives the name as Ameyes or Amies) as containing 30,000 inhabitants, living in seven pueblos, most of which were in the valley, but one so far back in the mountains that it was not visited. The people resembled those of Zia, enjoyed a good form of government, and were well provided with all of the necessaries of life. Espejo proceeded thence to Acoma, of which he had heard interesting accounts, and left the Jemez region again to its pristine condition, until the first settlement of the country under Onate in 1598.

We have seen in another chapter how rapid were the movements of this enterprising leader, so that we need not be surprised that in less than a month after the first settlement at San Gabriel, Onate explored the entire country in the vicinity of Zia and Jemez and was especially interested in the sulphur springs of that locality. He must have been impressed with the importance of this section of the country, for when the missionary work of the Franciscans

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was organized very soon thereafter, and the whole newly occupied territory was divided into seven provinces, Jemez was made the headquarters of one of these divisions, which included Zia and a multitude of small pueblos in the vicinity, and Fr. Alonzo de Lugo was sent to convert the inhabitants.

Thus Jemez became one of the original missionary centers, and its church was one of the first erected in New Mexico. In fact it soon became the most conspicuous scene of Christian effort and success, for when in 1617 Fr. Zarate Salmeron was appointed head of the Franciscan work in New Mexico, he took up his residence there, and became such a shining example of missionary zeal that his name has ever since been held in special veneration. In his own account of his missionary work he says he "sacrificed himself to the Lord among the Pagans" for eight years, chiefly among the Jemez Indians, of whom he baptized no less than 6,566; and he became so well versed in the Jemez language that he wrote a "doctrina" in that tongue.

A few years later, Benavides in his report to the king, tells us that the Jemez Indians, before his arrival as custodio, had become much reduced in numbers and scattered by reason of wars and famine, but that with much care they had been gathered again into two pueblos, one called San Jose and one San Diego, both of which had churches and conventos, those in San Jose especially being very sumptuous and beautiful.

When the Revolution of 1680 struck the country

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like a whirlwind, there were two priests in the Jemez country, serving these two pueblos. One of them succeeded in escaping by the aid of Lieutenant Governor Garcia and the Spaniards from the Rio Grande settlements, but the other--Juan de Jesus Maria--was massacred on the fatal day of the uprising, being shot by an arrow while ministering at the altar.

One of the first acts of De Vargas after reëstablishing Spanish authority, was to recover the remains of this Franciscan martyr and re-inter them in the church at Santa Fe. A very interesting account of this transaction appears in the official report of De Vargas himself, comprised in Archive No. 61 of the documents taken to the Library of Congress from the New Mexican archives, and still retained there.

From the original document, it appears that on the 8th of August, 1694, in the presence of the priest, Governor De Vargas exhumed the body, which, according to the statements of an Indian man and woman, had been buried on the outside of an estufa in the ruined pueblo of San Diego de Jemez. He soon found the skeleton, which was conclusively recognized by its small size and the fact that the arrow remained in the shoulder.

The remains were brought to Santa Fe, and on August 10th De Vargas records as follows:

"On the said tenth day of August the Reverend Father Vice Custodio Fr. Juan Munoz de Castro, and the other reverend fathers, came to present their

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congratulations for my success and most of all to see the bones which were adjudged to be those of the Reverend Father Juan de Jesus, who was the apostolic preacher of the convent of the pueblo of Jemez, and who on the 11th day of August, 1680, was inhumanly killed. And having the said bones in my room, with the skull, I exhibited and showed them to them in a box of medium size with a lock and key; and it appearing that it was his wish to bury them the following day, in the meantime they remained in my said room to be carried thence for interment. On the eleventh day of said month of August, to carry forth for burial the bones and skull of the deceased missionary, Fr. Juan de Jesus, which are in my room where I sleep, there came the Rev. Fr. Juan Munoz de Castro in company with the other wise fathers who are in this town, and asked me to proceed to the transfer and interment of the bones and skull before mentioned. And they proceeded to transfer and inter the said bones and skull, placed in the said box, closed and fastened, in the chapel which is used as a Parish Church for this garrison; which they did on the gospel side of the high altar, I, said Governor and Captain General, having been present with an escort of soldiers and subjects. Witness my hand with that of my military and civil secretary.

"D. DIEGO DE VARGAS ZAPATA LUJAN PONCE DE LEON.

"Before me

"ALPHONSS0 RAEL DE AGUILAR,

"Secretary of Government and War."