Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-08-15
on the return as they had been on theil


the same route. But at thirty leagues
of Santa Barbara, or near where to-day
the station of Concho has been establish
ed on the .Mexican Central Railroad
Chamuscado died. His companions alone
reached the mines whence they had
started. The date of their return is not
given, but it must have taken place in
the spring of 1852. The explorers re.
ported that the missionaries were i'll
good health, good spirits, and sanguine
OF the best results, and everybody looked
forward to The speedy opening of that
strange country to which, for the first time,
the name of New Mexico had been given.
But colonization could not be attempted
without special permission from the
viceroy of New Spain, and until permis-
sion came and with it the necessary as
sistance, nothing remained for them but
to wait.
While the colonists at Santa Barbara
were waiting for news from the south,
they were startled in the month of July,
1882, by the unexpected appearance of
two of the Indian servants who had re-
mained in New Mexico in the company
of the priests: These Indians told sad
murdered, and of their Indian servants
only three had effected their escape; of
these three one lost his life on the Rio
Grande, the survivors succeeded in reach
ing Santa Barbara after encountering or
avoiding the-gr eaLest dangers.
1t is manifest that no documentary
report exists Of the the of the catas.
trophe. Hence statements as to how
and where it happened are very conflicting.
In the year following and partly in the
same year, Antonio de Espejo visited
the scene of the disaster and he was the
first one to secure some positive informa-
ton. Still tlat information is meager
little by little, however, the facts became
known mostly through the Indians them
selves. Nevertheless, there are several
points yet that are very obscure and which
may be surnised rather than ascertained.
The following is therefore only colec-
ton of reports selected as probably repre-
senting the truth
1t seems that, after the soldiers under
Chamuscado had first left Puarav for the
west, at least one, if not all three, of the
friars determined upon visiting some of
the pueblos lying further north. Instead
Of remaining along the basins of the Rio
Grande he [or theyl DETECTED to the east
and thus drifted into the basin of Calls
teo where the Tanos occupied several
villages. These villages were: T'Age
Uing-Ge or Galisteo, Pere or San Lazaro,
Yan-P' Han-Ba or San Cristobal and Pa.a
co or old San Pedro-1t may also be that
one or the other of the string of pneblos
that extend on the southern border of
the Galsteo plain, like Pueblo Largo for
instance, was still inhabited at the time,
but there is no positive evidence of it.
San Marcos or Kua-K was also Tanos
pueblo in historic times. Which one of
these settlements the missionaries visited
we are not told, but their reception among
the Tanos did not fulfil their expectations.
The TanOs always proved more or less
unruy tribe. 1t seems also from what
other explorers have intimated] that the
Tanos were not on the best of terms with
other pueblos adjoining their range. Of
these conditions the friars knew nothing,
but it was highly imprudent on their part
to expose themselves to danger by going
among tribe which IN all likelihood
was looked upon with disfavor by the
Tiguas by whom the missionaries
has been. Hospitality received. In
case all three priests visited the Ga
listeo country together then it is Ger
tain that two of them Fathers Rodriguez
and Lopez returned to Puaray very soon.
The youngest one, however, Fray Juan
de Santa Maria, decided upon venturing
to return alone to chihuahua and also |
upon taking a different route from that
of the Rio Grande valley. 1t may be
remembered that he was regarded as
proficient in astronomy and mathematics
a "practcal cosmographer" according TO
the Technology OF the times and it's cur
rent ideas. He trusted to his knowledge |
of the consultations and his acquaintance
with the compass to find a route by pass
ing east of the Sandia chain. Besides, he
heard of pueblos existing along that route
aud, with the fearlessness characteristic |
of the missionaries of the period,t had no
doubt but that it would be easy for him
to ingratiate himself with their inhabi-
tants and obtain their hospitality.
1t has always been one of the peculiari.
ties of the missionaries of the Catholic
church, that they have never shrunk
from danger. Unless peremptorily ordered
to avoid it, by the superiors, they always
have risked their lives willingly and with
out stopping to think for moment of
death. Fray Juan de Santa Maria wan
dered from Gaisteo southward, and for a
time luck seemed to favor his enterprise.
He had with him few Indian guides,
presumably Tanos, he reached San Pedro
and left in company with
some natives, intending to reach the
pueblo, whereas old San Pedro "Paaco"
was village OF the Tanos on the trail
between the two settlements, in the
vicinity of where to-day is Carnue, the
priest laid down to rest under the shades
of the pines which here cover the slopes,
and while he was sleeping, his Indian
crushed his skull with rock.
What became of his body is not known.
AID. f. BANDELIER
To be Continued