Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-09-12
Y HOLE NUMBER, 1899.
The Strange Location of the Pueblo OF
AcOma in New NIcyico.

bOCnitOn OF the EttCDlO Ot
Acoma in New Mexico.
The pueblo of Acoma. situated 90 miles
west of Albuquerque, is one of the most
remarkable communities in the world
To reach it you take the Atlantic and
Pacific Railroad to McCarthy's Station.
and then transfer to a pony and ride Is
miles, south by east. When near your
journey end you descend almost imper.
ceptibly into valley six miles in width,
i'll the middle of which stands huge
mound, and on the top of this is Acoma.
Eight hundred people are living in this
place and they and their ancestors have
gathered their possessions there for nearly
three centuries.
This mound is one of many that are
the remains of a range of hills which has
been worn away by the erosion of the
ages, and survives only in the flat topped
elevations here and there The valleys
between are fertile, and untold genera
tions of men have seen them covered
with grain and hocks of sheep. Some
time in the 18th century the Laellna or
Valley Indians made war upon the Acc.
mas for possession of the country, and
the latter, being the weaker, occupied
this mountain as position believed to be
impregnable. The height above the val
leys is nearly 400 feet, and the walls in
several places nearly perpendicular.
There are two means of ascent. One
by a flight of steps cut into the face
of the wall and rising at an angle
of AZ degrees, and the other by a
tissure 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 shallow
troughs. Either one is exceedingly diff
cult neither is tolerably safe. We choose
the one along the tissure With all the
danger and fatigue, it is a laughabe
sight to see person-some other-maka
the ascent. One has to stride over tho
fissure one foot on the right hand 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 anG
go up quite rapidly without touching the
rocks with either hand, but l am salts
fiend | could never do it. They told us of
pathetic incident that occurred on the
outer stairway some generations ago,
Several men started up each with a sheer
ON his back. When nearly to the top the
sheep carried by the formost man be,
came restless, and the shepherd in trying
to hold it fast lost his footing, and in fall
ing swept his companions over the preci.
pice, and they all fell on the rocks in a
lifeless heap The Indians have carved a
representation of the incident on a 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 60 or 70 acres At
one side stands the pueblo, blunt pyra-
mid of adobe and stone honeycombed
with rooms, at the other the church and
graveyard, and near the center pond of
pure water 30 feet in depth and several
rods in extent. The priest was made ac-
quainted with the object of our visit and
the ringing of the church bell brough.
the inhabitants of the village around us
AS night approached 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.
We slept in the church wrapped up in
our Navajo blankets, and never felt NOR.
secure or happier in our lives.
When the dawn appeared through the
little mica window panes it revealed
great roof beams more than a foot in
diameter and 80 Or 40 feet long, and a
bell that was cast in 1710. How these
immense timbers and this bell were got
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 witnessed, and morn
ing and night, as the seasons come and
go and generations pass away, the bell
speaks for itself in the silvery tones that
pleased its founder in far off 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 bald
rock in the beginning. And the earth
for the graves came the same way, re-
quiring 40 years, the priest said, to COM
plete the graveyard. Weekly.