The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1883-10-09
FROM NEW MEXICO.
Special Correspondence.

The ride from Las Vegas to Santa
Fe, only SO miles, is rather monoto-
nous, the country presenting about
the same aspect and characteristics
as that already spoken of. There are
a few points of interest ON the route.
San Miguel, 30 miles from Las Vegas,
is a fair sample of many towns to be
found in new country where mush-
room growth for a few years, the re-
suit of an unsubstantial boom, gives
place to stagnation and decay. The
place once had 1000 inhabitants and
was quite business point; to-day it
has scarcely 1,500 and its business
prosperity has vanished. The only
really interesting feature along the
way is the famous Pecos cathedral, 80
miles out from Santa Fe-one of the
most famous ruins of the country.
From the railroad only passing
glimpse of its red and crumbling
walls can be obtained, as it is three
miles distant, but the pleasure travel
er will be sufficiently interested to
stop and look it over at leisure. 1t
is the site at what was once large
and populous Aztec village. Tradi-
tion has it-and here let me say that
New Mexico is country of traditions
that Montezuma was born at Pecos,
and that when he went away he told
his people to keep the sacred fire in
the cathedral burning until his re-
turn. But he never came. Warri-
ors watched the fires and renamed
on duty for two days and nights
without food or rest, or, as some say,
until exhausted or dead; and that
many who came out alive died soon
after. The Spanish Mexicans used
to believe that the bodies were given
to an enormous serpent to devour,
Whatever the cause, the town of
Pecos declined. Once about the mid
die Of the last century, Indians sack
ed the town, but many escaped. In
1887 the tribe was reduced to 40 per-
sons, of whom but seven were war;
riors. All this time they had kept
the sacred fire burning, but they could
do it no longer, as they were too few,
and tradition says that three war;
riOrs went into the woods with the
| fire and that Montezuma himself ap-
peared and relieved them oft. Then
they packed their goods and went to
join their brothers at the Jemez Pue-
bio, west of the Rio Grande. They
were of course sun worshippers, and
they looked at the rising sun every
morning expecting to see Montezuma
return. Near by are some boulders
having in them distinct lmprints of
human feet, as plain as if they were
in soft clay, and the tradition is that
these are the prints of Montezuma's
feet when he left. The cathedral
was built by the Franciscan frairs in
1923, Itis of adobe brick, in the form
of cross, and its dimensions are
Nave, 100 feet long by "a wide; chan
Gel, Is feet deep and the same width,
except the rear, which is IA feet.
Thus the total length of the
structure was l1S feet. There is
nothing in the. ruin now save some
odd pieces of pottery. The ruins OF
the old town are yet quite visible.
Pecos means "blonde, light complec-
ted and freckled." The town was
abandoned, some say, because the
Comanclles attacked it and so re-
duced it that it could no longer con-
tinue, but another tradition has il
that sacred serpent was kept in the
council house where the fire was
burning; that to it was fed every day
a child, and that reduced the Pueblo
family to point where the few re-
naming could not hold out alone.
Perhaps l should have mentioned
one other point along the route just
traveled-Bernal, about twenty mile!
from Las Vegas. 1t is place Of NJ
special Importance, but near it il
Bernal Peak, from which the Navejo
Indians, fighting on the side of thu
| United States in the war with Mexi
co, made descent upon the plac'
and, routing the Mexicans,, drove 2
Of them to the top of fthe Peak. TIL,
Indians numbered about 400, and fo
the Mexicans to attack them was SUR
death. There was but one way VI
the mountain side, and the 26, lik'
the famous defenders of the Pass a
Thermopylae, could defend it agains
any number. The Mexicans woult
not come down, and, as matter o
course, would not let the Indians up
so. that the NavJos deliberately Sc
themselves down to starve out thei
prisoners. The tradition is that the
,, were starved to death, for which rea
son a'huge rock upon the mountai
side is called Starvahon Rock. Nv
erosses on the top Of the peak mar
the spot.
l But by all odds the oddest as we
as one of the Oldest American town
< is this city of Santa Fe. Cabcca q
Baca was the first European to S,
foot in New Mexico. 1t was in 1853
after serving with Narvaez in Florid
y and wandering westward, that aftt