Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-06-02
HISTORIC EVENT.
Significance of TO-mOrr0w's Festivity
Celebrating De Vargas Victory
on the Santa Fe Plaza
Sept. IA, 1892.

An historic event of great moment to
the church and peculiar only to Santa Fe,
occurs tomorrow. Centuries ago, when
the intrepid reconqueror, De Vargas, tri-
umphed over the ftish worshipping
Pueblo Indians that held sway in this
city, he was encamped with his force of
Spanish warriors on the present site of
Rosario chapel, in the suburbs toward the
northwest. Before the decisive battle on
the Santa Fe plaza that drove out the In
dams and permitted here the erection of
the Christian banner, De Vargas made
prayerful VOW promising that if victori-
Gus in his undertaking to recapture the
city he would erect on the site where he
was then encamped a house of worship
where each year his faithful followers and
their descendants should convey the i'm
age of the Virgin Mary. This is the sig
nificance Of the beautiful procession
which has annually been observed since
that date. Tomorrow about p. m. the
procession will be organized at the cathe-
| dral, and, amidst flowers and music, with
much pomp and solemn ceremony, the
image of the mother of Christ, standing
erect beneath canopy of rich church
yestments, will be conveyed to Rosario
! chanel, there to remain, as DE Vargas
stipulated, for period of nine days.
De Vargas reached Santa Fe on Sep
TENDER y, 1892. What followed is best de-
scribed in Rev. j. II. De Fouri's recent
historical sketch of the Catholic church
in New Mexico:
"Vargas carried everywhere with him
statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and
wherever he stopped little sanctuary
was built and devotions were offered by
the army. We may meet yet several OF
those places, called by the people los
palac,os, among others one near Aqua
Fria, We miles west of Santa Fe. He en-
tered the city by the road called El
Canine de Vargas, and stood with his
troops near the church of Our Lady OF
Guadalupe. Thence, crossing the Rio
Santa Fe at place called yet--Puente de
Vargas, he went to the very spot where
now stands the Chapel of Our Lady OF
the Rosary, and there he erected palaclo.
On the next day, September IL, Vargas
with his small troop attacked the Indians
who we're centered on waste, which is
now the beautiful plaza of Santa Fe; they
had fortified themselves, and were REIN
forced by the neighboring pueblos to the
number of 10000. The battle ragged with
great ardor on both sides from in the
morning until nightfall without apparent
result. Then, Vargas, in the name of his
troops on their Bonded knees, before the
statue of Mary, made solemn vow that
should he take the city every year that
same statue should be brought in solemn
procession from the principal church in
the city to tbs spot on which they were
camping, where he should build sane.
tuary, and there be left for nine days, the
people flocking to the chapel to thank
. Mary for this victory, attributed to her
On the dawn of day, the next morning
he attacked with impetuosity the forth
fed Indians and drove them from thu
plaza; at o'clock they retired upon TIM
l Iona, north of the city, where he attacked
them, and by noon not an Indian was
seen in the neighborhood.
"Faithful to his promise, Vargas bull
the Sanctuary Of Our Lady of the Rosary
and the fultlllment of the vow, com
menced then, still continues every yea
} on the Sunday after the Octave of Corpus
, Christi, by carrying what is most prob
: ably the identical statue possessed b,
c Vargas, and called by the people Nuestr'
G Sonora de la Victoria, Our Lady OF tn
G Victory, in great pomp, with music ant
g pious chanting, from the Cathedral of st
G Francis to the Chapel of the Rosary, ant
: for nine days mass is chanted there, al