Sharp County record., 1881-05-26
Inscription Rock at Zuni, New Mexico

Inscription Rock at Zuni, New Mexico
A few miles from Zuni, as we move
eastward, there gradually comes to view
a bold, high, sandstone rock, a quad
rangular wall, white, Veined with yell
| low, named Inscription Rock. tits near
" a mile in length and more than two
hundred feet in height. Approaching
it. tower and turret, architrs7e and pill
lar rise slowly into view. We see a
mighty structure Nature has wrought
in noble architecture, and that no ex-
travagant coloring gave it the old Span
ish name EJ MOrO-The Castle. The
surface of the mountain-wall on the
north and south faces is written over
with names otherwise lost to history,
records that light the dark way like
shining torches. Some are deeply and
beautifully cut into the plane surface
and reach back more than three hun
dred years. The older inscriptions are
Spanish, carefully craven upon the
vertical faces, about the height Of a
mans head from the ground. Usually a
date. a brief memorandum Of the pur-
pose and line of march of the Castilian
soldiery, the names of travellers explor-
ing the country, or Franciscan friars
going into the wilderness in search Of
the lost tribes of Israel.
At the foot OF the towering steep is a
gushing spring of sparkling water, and
fresh grass, such as is not often seen
I except in narrow valleys among the
arid plains of the territories. After
rest, food, siesta, the traveller looking
up to the immense table Of stone before
him, naturally adds his own name to
the constantly-increasing list on the
written mountain, which has now
grown into a confused mass of hero
gIyphs Indian signs, the favOrite be-
inc the track of mOccasin, indicative
of marching; decayed and decaying in
scriptions and names of old adVentur-
ers.
Close to the left corner, almost hid
den by brushwood, is the Oldest date
engraved in the rock nearly a century
before the land of the Pilgrim Fathers
Don Joseph de BaseOnzales, 1926.
This is the sole record of his expedition
at once his history and cenotaph. He
went with an exploring party from the
City of Mexico and never returned; nor
were they heard of after leaving Zuni.
Whether they persisted in secret defiles
cut off bv the skulking Apache, who
dogged every step Of the invader, or
gave out through fatigue and thirst in
the deep canons and sterile vegas be-
longs to the voiceless past. In some
unnamed spot he sleeps with the silent
majority-a mighty company.
In the moist air Of England these let
ters would be mOssed over and wholly
ilIegible; but the dry, dewless air of
New Mexico holds decay in check, and
jn this regard almost equals the atmos-
phere Of Egypt. Among recent fnscrip-
tions appear the autographs of the Uni
ted States sexplorers-Whipple, Simpson
and others, and still nearer our day the
SIGNS manual of the Smiths, Joneses,
Browns and the rest. The sixth name
on the list is the one whose fortunes we
are irving to trace out and follow, less
for the sake Of his king and country
than because he was attended by the
true love and faithful knight of the lit
tie Rose of CASTLE.
1t runs: Here passed Don Diego de
Vargas, to conquer Santa Fe for the
royal crown, New Mexico, at his own
cest5, in the year 1892.
Many secrets we cannot guess are
hidden in the silence there, with the
sands of ages drifted above them; but it
is plain to see Vargas was in high feath-
er when he made his proud record on
the wall of Ell Moro. Observe the pert
little crow, sat his own cost"
Luckily, there is still extant num-
ber of documents bearing on his admin
istration among the State papers at
Santa Fe, or we might think the prince
ly fellow, going out conquering and to
conquer, scattered commissions and vic
tories with free hand.
How La Villa Real de Santa Fe was
lost and won is an old tale and often
told, and details of battles, at least of
Indian fighting, are not interesting.
Enough that, after the summer camp at
or near Old Zuni, Vargas with his army
pressed on to the siege of the Capital.
The slayers were a few hundreds of
white men, with red allies; the slain
were of number that has never been
reckoned.
Father Francisco Corvera admins
tered absolution to the entire command
before battle, and, as the foreign army
was preparing for general onslaught,
the Pueblos stole out in the night, leav-
ing the city in possession of the fair
race which left nothing but desolation
in its track.
The brutal instincts of this Vargas
(whom l hate and the judicious reader
must hate, tOo), hardened and intensi-
fed with increasing power and advanc-
ing years. One of the worst of his bad
race, ne labored increasingly for the
conversion of the aborigines. His posi-
tion allowed immeasurable sweep for
cruelty, which we may be sure he en-
joyed to the utmost, and the cross be-
came the object of bitter hatred to the
heather he claimed for an inheritance.
He it was who wrote to the Viceroy of
Mexico, applying for more troops to
carry ON the crusade: " You might as
well try to convertJews without the In
QUESTIONS as Indians without soldiers" ="
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