The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-11-28
A CITY HIGH IN THE AIR.
TEE WONDERFUL PYEBLo OF AGO.
MA, NEW MEKGCO.
One Og the Most Escmn- ka5le Com.
mrnitics in the United Statcs-A
Climb TO the Village.


TO the Lawrence (Kansas) Jouraal gives
the subjoined interesting description OF
a remarkable Indian community: The
pueblo of Acoma, situated ninety miles
west of Albuquerque. is one of the most
remarkable communities in New Mexico
or the United States. To reach it take
the Atlantic and Pacific railroad to Nc
{ arthy station, and then transfer to an In
| dian pony and ride eighteen miles south
by east. When near your journeys end
you descend almost imperceptibly into
the valley six miles in width, in the mid
die of which stands butte, and on the
top of this is Acoma Eight hundred
people are living there. and they and
their ancestors have gathered there the
sum OF their possessions for nearly three
centuries. This butte is one of many
that are remnants of mesa that mas been
worn away by the erosion OF the ayes,
and survives only in nat-topped noun
tains here and there. The valleys be-
tween are fertile, and untold generations
OF men have seen them covered with
waving grain and flocks of sheep.
Some time in the seventeenth century
the Laguno, or valley Indians made war
the country, and the latter being the
weaker occupied this butte as Il defen-
sive position believed to be impregnable.
Their judgment has been abundantlv in
dictated. 1t has proved a Gibraltar Of
strength and safety. The comparison is
not inappropriate, and in approaching
1t from the north l was struck with the
resemblance to the pictures have seen
of that grim fortress that frowns over
the straits of the Mediterranean. The
height above the valley is nearly 400 feet
and the walls in several places nearly
perpendicular. There are two means OF
ascent, one by flight of steps cut into
the face of the wall and rising at an
angle of forty-fve degrees and the other
by assure in the rocks leading up into
the heart of the mountain, Both ways
have been trodden by human feet until
the steps are followed out like shall
low troughs. Either one is exceedingly
difficult and neither is tolerably safe.
We chose the one along the assure. To
give an idea of the righteousness of the
task, imagine stairway starting at Mr..
Grosvenors Office and rising to the top OF
the spire of the Methodist church, then
continuing on an easier angle for 100 feet,
and then rising again 10y a sleeper grade
than ever to an elevation higher than the
weather vane on the university, and this
stairway a precarious footing along the
sides OF cash IN rugged mountain,
and you may know how we reached
Acoma With all the danger and ia
tiguc, ii is laughablc sight to see a per-
son-some other person make the as
cent. One has to stride over the fssure,
one foot on the right han side and the
other on the left, and at the same time
press the hands alternately against the
rocks for support An Indian will throw
live sheep around his neck and go up
quite rapidly without touching either
hand to the rocks; but | am satisfied
could never do it.
They told us of pathetic incident
that occurred on the outer stairway sew
eral generations ago. Several men
started up, each with sheep on his back.
When nearly to the top the sheep car
ried by the foremost man became rest
less and the shepherd in trying to hold it
fast lost his footing, and in falling swept
his companions over the precipice and
they all fell on the rocks at the foot in n
lifcless heap. The Indians have carved
u representation of the accident on rock
near where it occurred, which scarcely
serves to steady the nerves of those who
go by that route.
The top of the elevation is level and
contains an area of sixty or seventy
acres. At one side stands the pueblo,
a blunt pyramid of adobe and stone
honeycombed with rooms, at the other
the church and graveyard, and near the
centre pond of pure water thirty feet
in depth and several rods IN extent.
The priest was made acquainted with
the OBJ ject of our visit, and the ringing
of the church bell brought the inhabi-
tants of the village around us. When
they understood that the title to their
lands was in question ard we had come
to take testimony they showed great in
terest, and discussed various points in
volved with remarkable intelligence, con-
sidering their limited opportunities for a
knowledge of law. AS nightfall came
on a number of the men who had been
at work in the valley came up, bringing
delicious peaches and grapes, which we
were glad to accept inEiew of the meagre
icPoi"1ioHH iOi SUPPER we slept III
the church. wrapped up in our Navajo
blankets and never felt more secure or
happier in our lives. When
the gray dawn peered through
the little mica window-panes. il
revealed great roof beams more than
foot in diameter and thirty or forty feet
long, and Through the open tower a bell
that was cast in 1910 How these i'm
mense timbers and this bell were brought
up to the top of this cliff no one living
knows. The Indians shake their heads
and the priest shakes his, but no one
ventures an opinion. The timbers are
there, however, as witnesses, and morn
ing and night, rs the seasons come and
go and generations pass away, the bell
speaks for itself in the silvery tones that
pleased its founder in far-ofT Spain when
King George was on the throne. The
adobes-or the earth of which they were
made-were brought up from the valley
also, for the top of the butte was a bald
rock in the beginning. And the earth
for the graves came the same Wav re-