The weekly Arizona miner., 1872-06-08
The Pueblos of New Mexico.
[Frz. tAe rnebas fce.aca.lel Pr.r,s.l

Among the people of the East very little $ known of the remnants of Iniiaa tritzs which remain aunong the Spanish resSdesl-s -, our sister Territory. They arc considered v popular estimation very nearly identical IA all their prominent characteristics, with the other tribes of Indians This Is popular error. They have no qualities, or very few, | in common with the wild aboriginal of the | United States, but are more identical m hab- its, social customs and religion, with the more southern tribes found by Cortez, when be made his first irruption into Mexico. When the first Spanish explorers pushed their ad- vance columns through New Mexico, they found the aboriginal inhabitants of that dis trict, with some exceptions, living in towns and much farther advanced in the arts of civ iIiZed life than the nomadic tribes. The first efforts of the conquerors were directed to the spread of the Catholic religion among | these native tribes, and they succeeded in engrafting upon their ancient religion the outward observance ot the Catholic rites and ceremonies Priests were placed among them. Native labor was employed in the erection of | churches Reservations of land were set apart for the use of these natives. Their diff ferent tribal designations were ignored, and all these half civilized Indians were classed together under the general Spanish name of Pueblos Over three hundred years have passed since they came under the dominion of tue Spanish, and much of their intervt ming history has been lost. From numerous yil- Iages. some of them thickly populated, they have dwindled to few feeble communities 4 few fac,s touching the religion and pe- cuar internal government of this strange people will be interesting 10 many readers. I They are divided into separate communi- tics, each independent of all others. These Pueblos are objects of curiosity to travellers in New Mexico, and are we'll worth brief description. In each of them a very few houses suffice for the accommodation of the entire population These houses are of adodes and from two to seven stories in height in the different communities. The Pueblo of Taos consists of two houses, one of them seven stories in height and the other five. The lower story consists of rows of rooms, separated by parallel interior walls. The second story Is narrower by a single tier oi rooms than the first-the third than the second, and the walls are thus regularly drawn in until the highest story Is r. he'd, which consists of a single tier of rooms over looking the entire structure. In the entire building, constructed on so extended a scale there are no doors nor windows. Holes re- sembling the port holes of fertilization serve to admit air and very little light. The buildings are entered by ladders against the walls and holes through the roofs. From this description 1t may readily be seen that the vast interior of these buildings consists of labyrinth of rooms, from the greater part of which light and air are almost ex- cIuded. Here these strange people have lived, for how many generations no man knows. In the underground room, separate from the building already described, called an estafd, constant fire is kept burning, and me of their number keeps perpetual guard. If any reason exists in the minds of these people why this is done, it is kept profound secret. They only tell the outside world that they adhere to the custom because it is hand ed down to thein by their ancestors. In the room where the undying fire is fed with such Iscrupulous care, their councils are held. No woman is ever admitted here. No persons other than the male members of the tribe are allowed to know what is done in the coun- cils which are held within the sacred pre- cincts of the estnfu.
 Among themselves the Pueblos speak their ancient language. They communicate with the outside world in Spanish. They have a
 
 chosen at intervals, who proclaims his de- crees from the housctops. Their religion is believed to be worship of the sun, since it is their practice to have one or more of their number on the housetop in early morning to watch and wait for the rising of the sun, with the face turned reverently to the East.
 This description of the Taos Pueblo will answer for all, excepting that their style of building in the other communities is consid- erably different, but the modes and customs are essentially the same. There are fifteen of these singular communities in New Mex ico numbering in the aggregate ten thousand souls. They are peaceable, quiet, indus trious race, living mainly by the cultivation of the soil, and maintaining constant traffic with their Mexican neighbors. Their num- bers have steadily decreased since they first came under the yoke of their conquerors, and not many generations will elapse beiore they will be numbered among the extinct races.
 An account which may truthfully be given of these people, touching their religion, their polity, traditions and internal government must necessarily be vague and indistinct, as upon all these matters they are reticent to the highest degree.