The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-17
FROM NEW MEXICO.


eminent peak in Colorado-came to Santa
Fe it struck him, as he viewed it from the
neighboring heights, as resembling a
.'heet of fiat bottomed boats on the Ohio
river" The contrast between the SPLEEN
doris of the churches and the squalor of
the houses also struck and disguised the
prosaic and protestant mind of Pike. He
found in the town only one citizen of the
United States, James Pursley by name,
who had been fur trader, but had es
tablished himself at Santa Fe as car
penter, where he was thriving. But it
was long time before any of these
pioneers had any successors. Today,
however, We fiAd yankees" and the eyi
dences of yankee enterprise on every
hand Continuing the tour through the
old town begun in my last we came to the
San Miguel church which is without
doubt the oldest church edlnce in the
United States 1t was built in 1880 by
Juan Onate, partially destroyed during
the rebellion of 1890. as appears from
documentary evidence, and placed in still
better repair in 1910. The bones many a
gallant soldier and piolIs priest have there
found their last resting place. The cross,
the emblem of civil ization, Brought hither
by the Spaniard, was planted here three
hundred years ago, and many wondering
look was directed to it by the poor Pueblo
Indians put to death in that very church
yard and under its holy shadow
The civilization of the Spaniarde, as
best attested by the history of this
country. was always that of the sword
and cross combined. AS entered the
church beam overhead was shown me
upon which was an inscription to the
effect that the church was rebuilt in 1910,
it having been destroyed in the. rebellion
OF the Pueblo Indians in 1880 The
inscription says the church was ''built'
instead of rebuilt Brother Baldwin,
who found to be not only a well ed
ucated gentleman, but jocular one-a
person who, notwithstanding his position
MS teacher in the Christian sBrothers
College, would be taken and accepted as
zone of the boys Says the inscription
ON the beam as yOu enter the church is n
huge Spanish lie as the records of
the church shQT that it was but partially
destroyed in the rebellion of 1880
The oldest house in Santa Fe is Just
acrSss the street from the church. Ii
was seen by Coronado in 1910. 1t is. OF
course, of adobe, about fifty or sixty feet
long by twelve feet high, and has all the
appearance Of having lasted from the
birth of the everlasting hills, and it seems
good for several centuries more. Across
the bed of the Santa Fe you 60 to the
chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary. 1t is
ad adobe building, about seventy feet by
twenty tyefeet in dimt ion, with no floor
no seats, no ornaments except few Odd
pictures of the Alteration, Annuncation,
and tie Crnci6xiOn upon the walls
In the vestry there is a very beautiful
picture of the Virgin There is no objcc
ton TO yOnr going in, and. in fact, the
old lady who carries the keys will for {
consideration admit you. The church
was probably built about the year 1900
No services are held here except once {
year when the Mexicans invoke rain
This is one of the great festival occasions
of the city Of Santa Fe; the people have
procession, and the picture of the Vir-
gin Mary is taken from the church and
carried at the head of the line in great
state. Four persons bear the pdldRgujE
in which the image is transported and be
hind it is troop of young girls followed
by large crowd of Indians and Catho-
lies. As the image passes the people
bring out their best carpets and lay then
in the streets and pray the Virgin to rest
whenever she does so the priests knee
and pray and the populace pay as mucl
money as they are able, or what the boy
call "chip in, and the line of march II
resumed; the same thing happens ad in
fnitun, iTreverent people saying that thi
procession is one more of collection thai
of piety Arriving at the church thu
image is placed on the altar and an es
picisl service for rain is held This is th
first Sunday after Corpus Christi, th
great festival of Santa Fe, and the invo
cation continues for eight days.-until
week from the next day. To the casua
observer it would seem that this visit o
the Virgin is well timed. as it is just a
the rainy season, when storms are prett
sure to occur. They tell a flshy story
however, of one occasion when the rail-
failed to come and the enraged Spaniard
dragged the image from the chapel, strip
ped off her garments, and kicked her ovel
the rocks into the creek That night, thu
story goes, a terrific storm visited tn
place and nearly scared the Mexicans t
death, and they FASTENED to restore tn
image to its place, exhibiting great pen
itence.
Around the plaza various modern look
ing structures appear post office, banks
hotels, stores and saloons-all clearl
American in both architecture and charat
ter. But the purely Spanish Mexica
quarter of the city. with its more print
tive houses built entirely of adele, liz
flfsther away from this point. Turnin
down the narrow, steep street called Sa
Francisco, at the head of which stand
the new cathedral bearing the same mann
we pass the line of shops where are di
plblCu HuuhJlJACo Va buC DCCullul
jewelry, both gold and silver, of Mexica
workmanship This barbaric looking pc
terry of all colors-though black and re
predOmin lte-and of the most hideol
and grotesque shapes, is made by til
Pueblo Indians. The same of these spet
linens of wickerware, woven closel
enough to hold water Here are the worl
men, black, and not over clean looking
but with brilliant blankets of native mar
ufacture wrapped around their head
Occasioniy We meet Navajo, decided
too wild looking TO feel at ease with
the limits of even this semi civilization
but who has probably come into the Gil
to dispose of either some game or blan
ket OF superior make-the latter gal
stripped and so closely woven that it wi
easily hold pail of water poured in IL
center while the blanket is upheld at II
four corners. These come at high prit
all the way from $25 to $50, accordin
to the quality of the blanket and charaC
ter NJ mo apfflpr On the south side 4