New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-14

FRrlTAGE or THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY.
GRAPES constitute one OF the principal crops OF
| the RIO GraDdc Valley. The commonest variety Is
| the Muscat, from which very good wine IS made.
| The vineyards look like plantations of currant
| bushes tne vines being planted III rectangular or
| der. and trained in the form Of shrubs.
| The fruit is delicious, like that of Califor-
MIA. and have no doubt that the wine
crop of the valley Will. before many years.
become of the largest and most profitable in the
| Territory. Archb shop Lamy, who a native Of
France. and who, during he almost third of a
fury Of his residence here has travelled thousands
of miles every year among the Mexican and Indian
population of New Mexico. told me that no part Of
California Is better adapted for the culture OF
grapes and the manufacture of WINE than the Rio
GIande Valley. The natives tread out the juice OF
the grapes with their feet did the slaves in the
great vineyards of classic times.
Tie orchards of Inc vail y remarkably thrifty
and pr hc, and the fruit Is large and fair. never
saw applc-trses that were apparently so free from
disease The bark was as oeght as though the
trunks OF the trees had been washed in lye. The
peach and plum trees are large and flll OF fruit
The orchards do not appear 10 have been planted
with much regularity, but the trees seem to
have been stuck down by the side OF the acequies,
wherever they were certain 10 have plenty Of
wafer
CHARACTER OF THE INHABITANTS.
The Mexicaus and the Indians seem 20 be about
equally numerous IN the portion II the valley
through which | passed 20 reach this place. The
two principal Indian towns ara SantO DOMINGO al
ready mentioned, AMI Sln Felipe. pueblo about
oue-b4 Z the Of the former. The Mexican town,
north Of Albuquerque, the railroad, after 1t
strises the river are Alsodones ana Benalo.
TIE trans run along the edge Of San
Felipe, and we caught a glimpse of the
town as we passed 1t has become Mex
canIzed in great degree; that Is, instead of
being one jumb ell O. hoUs IS built against and
on tor of each other. 10 hal plaza, a church AID
some streets The houses are also generally entered
through doors IN the sides instead of oy means Of
holes IN the top bus nearly every one has Ladder
leaning against 1t ard The top of the house 10
be tie fayorte place of saw of the H.
dams dressed IN European costumes. although there
was an approach to it IN some cases. for men aud
women were working in the fields wearing very
broad trousers the upper part of tn, BODY cows
cred with "a shi~t-siaped blouse. both garments be-
/, 2 mad of course white cotton cloth. l nave not
seen % Pueblo Indian wearing hat. although TIM
Is the hgst article of civilized attire to winch the
wild lndtan seems TO take kind y.
Tie Indian children are an interesting study.
They are generally very scantily dressed, the only
garment that most OF those between the ages Ofive
and fifteen years wore being loose chemlss reach
ing about to the knees. smaller children fire.
quenLy seen without stitch of clothing. The
wealth of straight back halr with which most OF
rne young Puebos are blessed is something wonder
tul. Ii Is banged" in front, but hangs down
upon their shou ders nalf hiding Their du,ky faces
The passage of ra1 way tram has nOt ceased be
4 novelty to CIem and at san Felipe dozen or
more Of tnein were gathered the tops Of tn.
houses nearest the railroad, jumping about anC
shouting Ike the little savages that they are. and
throwing stones at the passing cars
some OF the Pueblo Indians IN the Rio Grande
Valley have novel 0uC Of the towns and i've on
their Iitte farms Their adobe houses ara very
small and n an looking, and some of them appar-
emily have no doors or windows. Frequently five
or SIX persons, old aud young. would ne congregated
on tue top of one of them. and look so crowded
there that 1t seemed as though some one must be
pushed OH If any other one moved Many Of these
little houses have rude awnings made OF poles and
boughs OF trees shading their tops, which are then
used as lodging apartments by the family.
Tie Pueblos and Navajo have never been
friendly and relics of their old wlrfares may still
| ue seen in some parts Of New-Mcxico The Pueblo
| architecture was adopted in order that their WI
lges might easily be defended from the attacks OF
| the Navalos. and sOme Of tnelr towns were built
hign up up n the ellis iOT tue same reason. ne
western banks Of The RIO Grarda north OF here are
very abrupt. rising IN some places almost perpen-
diculariy two or ihIec hundred feet On the top Of
one OF these bluffs there still remains stone fort
built by the PueDlos and almost mpr enable from
rhe river side against anything but modern artil-
ieIy.
Rio Grande River and, although their modes OF
agriculture rude and primitive, their fields are
vel cultivated, they have large f)ck5 ana herds
and their houses are spacious and rather imposing IN
appearance, when seen through long vista of trees,
with their neatly Whtewashnd fronts and broad yer
anlas extending all around them. Among these peo-
nile mag oc.aS lnallv be found a Spanish amIiy of
pure CastIaI blood which, though 10 cauie here,
perhaps, two centuries ago. has never lnler-narrIed
with the Indians or MeNcaus OF mixed blood. These
are the real aris0cTaCy of the country, ami Is many
of their chi dren have been educated IN Europe or
in the Eastern 5 ate5, they have retained not few
of the characteristics OF their Spanish ancestors, 20
which they have added perhaps, more OF modern
Ine Old town OF Albuquerque Is about three miles
west OF the railroad, but uew-Amercan-town
il already spTnglug up about the station. The Od
town contains about 1000 mhabIiante, OF whom
two or three hundred ar. Americans and Europeans
aAd Che remainder Mexican. j. resembles Santa
ne eycept that its architecture l. purely MeXIcan
;d N lacks tie appearance or thrtt ana enterprise
which the capital If New Mexico has IN slight H.
gTtc. Inc plaza - SIMPLY an open square III the
centTe OF The town without fences, trees or grass
One SIDE IL Is occupied W the churc4
and church institutions, the former of winch Is said
TO nave been buit about 200 years ago. lhe pcOp.e
of Albuquerque assert that the town was occupied
Inv the S,aniards earlier than Santa Re, 1t being at
that time large Indian pueblo, anu II therefore
dIspnres with tbe capital of the Territory the honor
of being the oldest town ~ the Uni ed States
sci lei By Europeans. The merchants here carry on
. arg business with the farmer of the valley. lnc
new town which Is the Junction OF the Atlantic and
Pacific Railroad the construction OF winch from
this point west 10 California has already been be-
gunl with the AtchisOn. Topeka and santa Fe nam
Line is expected TO be an important railway centre.
Tie first night slept IN Albuquerque, my room
opened by a door upon the piacIta of the hotel but
t6e window looked out upon a broad street with no
buIIdmgs on the further side. After midnight
aud when perfect silence relgned throughout the
Hotel and town, | was awakened by a weird
nIaintiye sound and looking out OF the