New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-22
THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST.


PROMISES FOR ITS FUTURE-THE PEOPLE, I'LL"
ADOBE HOUSES AND THEIR CONDITION
,ppo,, Az oCc AsIoNAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBuNkJ
s,~rA Fr New-Mexico, July 30.-Ihe twlhght
was setting IN as the heavy four-horse stage OH
which we had travelled seveuty-ive miles rom La
We ratified into Santa F6 Our road had led over
the foothills or spurs of the Rocky MOUNTAINS
across the upper Rio Pocos, and 10y Glona ana Apa-
che Canons The hills and slopes, and IN many
places the bottoms. were covered with timber
chiefly yellow pine with clumps, or bushes OF the
pinon and occasionally cottonwood and willow Ihe
soil had a red color. All along the way, wherever
there was a stream, the adobe villages were
clustered There few cattle, goats OF sheep ana
the inevitable donkey or burrO, shares the pow
erty and toll of its master but is not so poor for the
vegetation furnishes the little creature with goou
livelihood, while the people apparently are man
starved. Where there was sufficient wafer IoI lIIr
cation the the crops looked luxurious lHe wheat
was at this close of July, often heavy and green.
In many places attempts are made 10 Ialse corn
without irrigation, but 1t does not appear TO
amonnt to much as it IS attempting 20 tassel at
from one TO two feet high. The land is
pIougbed bv a wooden plough or crotch. generally
drawn by oxen.
As we approached the City Of Holy Faith it
looked through the cleaning, like huge colIecnon
of brick-kilns ready to burn Here and there rose
the walls and towers of a few churches ana the
Catholic school. Many of the adobe houses are
whitcwashed and succeed over and thus are ma1o
10 look quite neat. In the centre OF the town Is inc
plaza not as large that at Las Vegas Dut lenoeu
and full of trees (which give It cool refreshing look
In the centre is a monument, erected by the Legs
lature TO the heroes who fcl in defence OF the Uuon
during the late war To the north side OF the plaza
is the Pa lace for which great antiquity Is claimed
In occupies the whole side of the plaza ana IN front
Of II there is portco with wooden pillars, Wmchls
comparativcly modern. The building has always
been used officially In the olden time 1t was the
residence of many a doughty Spanish commandment
and GoyerOr-Geuera and now the Governor ana
other Territorial officials have their Offices there.
The reader must not allow himself to be carried
away with the term palace into a speculation as to
its magnfcence. 1t is a very respectable hign'
one-story building, the adobe BROWNIES OF when
has been redeemed by paint, whtewash, and the
p,rtico and very few ornaments. The inner apart
ents are large with high ceilings and the style OF
furnishing does not indicate any violent eAlIaNI-
pance on the part of the United States,
Ats in the morning after my arrival started out
or tour Of observation and climbed the hills tothe
northeast of the town. Santa Fe lies in basin Ike
horseshoc. Close around il the foothills encrce 1t
in the shape have indicated. Behind these foot
hills rise the Rockies. this portion OF them being
eight or ten miles distant, and the highest little
further of, rise some 1000 feet above the timber
line and must have an altitude of 10000 feet above
the sea. Tho foothills are bare in many places,
with only here and there low pinon bush. The
soil is red and grayey Here and there on the more
abruut hillsides there is yellow sandstone, which,
however contains fossils and is not as good or as
fine material as the brown sandstone. On the hills
also found scattered a reddish scOra, very light,
which find is used, and has from the most ancient
time, becnus5d, in forming the roofs with the clay
mortar The basin IN which The city lies IS ABOUT
r. 5OOf,ct above the level Of the sea. Through 1t
winds a creek, called by courtesy Rio Santa re.
AWAY 10 the SOUTH and far beyond the horseshoe,
some eighteen or twenty miles distant, the Rio
Grande flows from the north. Beyond it the noun
tains shut out the view Down the valley and all
through the town the fields are scattered. 1t IS evil
dent that there is not nearly sufficient
water for irrgating purposes. Long, long ago. De-
fore the Spaniars came here, there an aqueduct
and the lake, twelve miles distant in the noun
tans was to large extent artificial and collected
and held water for the dry season. 1t was destroyed
between 200 and 800 years ago, and It's ruins only
can be traced.
The CITY of Holy Faith is said to contain about
65O0 people and should say the estimate was cor
rect Of these less than a thousand are Americans,
the remainder being Spanish aud Indian, "real,
nerscpal and mixedn Those who wish to explain
the apparent decadencc of the population attribute
il 10 tie Indian admixture. OF this there IS not
sufficient evidence. Probably they corrupted each
other and little survived save the weaknesses and
vices of both From all the evidence the Pueblo In
dians out in their towns are superior both as TO
their manufactures aud their morals. Inc FueDlos'
which means simply Indians who live III towns IN
contradi,tinction to the Navajoes and other rowing
&c han arlp AvTf N
are the remnants Of q people once numerous and
powerfu in this country There is difference even
IN the architecture Of the Pueblos proper and the
Standards and Spanish Indians. The Pueblo houses
are from Two TO five stories high, the Spanish are
only one Both are Of adobe. The Spanish element
Is sometimes very dark and swarthy, the black be-
ing clear black in its shadings and Of the Spanish
kind The Indian element is yelowlsh brown.
Little more than thirty years after Columbus dis
covered this continent CabeLa dc Naca and LIS two
compamons we're wrecked near the mouth of the
Mississippi River The sole survivors OF the Mar
yaev expedition crossed Texas, went through this
region. and iourneyed to the Gulf of California
Then they met a Spanish command, with over 300 OF
these ancient town Indians rvetted TO great chain
and being driven as slaves 10 work in the mines OF
Old Mexico. This work Of merciless cruelty was
continued until many towns were depopulatcd, ana
their ruins monuments Of murder and rapaclty,
stare the modern traveller IN the face as he explores
these mountains and valleys. 1t needed not De
Yacas narrative to tell US of the wonderful seven
cities of CibOla. OF towns and villages there were
seventy times seven. Here where Santa f6 now
Stands there city of 10000 lnhaDltdnts, WIN
lis ancient waterwOTKs. All up the Rio Grande
their towns and villages were scattered. Ore finds
them IN the San Juan country on ar the streams OF
the great Colorado of the West. In ancient Tunes
tbey worked both gold and silver, and continued IT
until the rapacIty of the Spaniards made them curse
tbe preclOus metals The Spanish settlement OF
Santa III AZ ? town is more than 300 years old, and
Il L. LInID II