Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-15
A PURE DEMOCRACY.
Strange Government of the Pueblo IL
dams in New Mexico

Strange Government of the Pueblo In-
dams in New Mexico.
GSanta Fe Correspondence of Globe Democrat
The Tunkue Pueblo, forty-fve miles
south of here, proves TO be one of the Pue-
bios that went down in the revolution OF
1880, and was destroyed by fire 1t was
very large. The walls are distinctly trace
able and the lines of the houses well
marked. The square of houses surround
ing the estufa, or underground council
| chamber, is about 200 feet on each side.
The estufa itself is about fifty feet in diam
| eter.
| Though the Pueblos claim to have en-
braced the Catholic faith, it is known that
| they still reverence idols-the sun moon
| and morning stars. Although they present
| their children TO the priest for baptism on
the eighth day after birth, they go through
an ancient sun-worshiping ceremony with
them four or five days before that. They
| are very secretive people, and it is impossi-
BILE to discover the nature of this ceremony.
The 1900 members, and they are known
to have remained at about that number
since 1900, carefully guard this ceremonial
secret. There are now nineteen towns left,
| only one having been abandoned within
the last eighty-five years, and that the Pecos
Pueblo, the extensive ruins of which are
still visible on the Atchisou, Topeka and
Santa Fe road near Glorletta. This once
populous city was reduced to eleven inhab-
itants in 1910, and taking with them the
secret fire. which had been kept burning
for untold ages, they journeyed TO Jamez,
where one of them was chosen Governor
last year. In the year 1910 Coronado found
the Pecos Pueblo populous and flourishing,
but its inhabitants wasted away by war
and disease in 300 years until only eleven
remained.
The Pueblo Government is a pure de-
mocracy. On each New Year eve they
elect officers in every town, the principal
officers being the Governor, the War Capt
ain and the Fiscal or Treasurer The latter
also has charge of the celebration, and her
aids proclamations and the news-a walk
ing bulletin by virtue of his lungs. Every
town has patron saint, and that saints
day is the great event of the year. They
rival each other in the extent and lowell
ness of the demonstrations and in hospital
ity, for every house is open and the
stranger is welcome to the best it affords
The ceremonial dances at these celebra-
tons partake of the nature of the drama
Every one of them tells some story of an
Gent days. 1t is the tribal mythology
preserved in song and dance. The mata-
chinos is danced by twelve men and one
woman, the belle of the Pueblo. 1t repre-
sents the trials of Montezuma in reaching
perfection and the possession of female
loneliness. The woman they call the ma
linche. Montezuma is represented by some
active and ambitious young man, who, in
the course of the dance meets with all the
annoyances and difficulties that can be
heaped upon him by his tormentors. He
is attacked first by one and then another,
and overcomes them in turn, winding up
with n terrific combat with an Tndian
decked out in imitation of bull Then
he claims the maiden and is happy, even
his late combatants joining in the praise Of
the rictn-