The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
THIS ROCK A HISTORY.
a GIGANTIC PEAK IN THE NEW
MEXICAN DESERT.

Perhaps TO 15sO-Latter.D Day vsudais.
In q far-aw ay corner OF far-away Now Mex
leo stands, unnoticed. uncared-for, and almost
unknown, n which, we're II within
the domain Of any other country than tho Uni
ted States, would he sacredlv guarded
from vandalism. and would be the shrine to-
ward which travellers would turn.
It is a pinnacle Of rock. 80 stupendous that It
serves as a landmark. even in a land OF LOFTY
peaks, with top 80 difficult of access that only
creatures with wings may urmount It, with
appearance 80 striking that It received q char
acteristic name. almost three centuries ago.
when It first lay under the astonished gaze Of q
white mnn-El Moro.
While the poetic and impressionable Span
iards who braved tho unknown and opened the
Southwest to civilization saw the beauties Of
the immense nile, with its resemblance to the
castles of the Old World, and gave II a name
significant of It's appearance, the latter-day
American saw the writings left by lonc.gone
explorers. and dubbed II Inscription Rock"
When old-timo explorers penetrated the un-
known country north of Mexico. carrying
tne faith" they passed UP the ancient pueblo
of Zuni. thence eastward toward the Rio
Grande River. The natural highway, II 1t
may be 30 called, led them directly under the
shadow OF a towering wall. thousands. of feet
iOIih hhu vi 70 * Ahio ""A's
whom faced from the east. presents the appear
ance OF n wedge OF rock. but when seen from
the rear. It is found to be an immense V. the
apparently solid wall being split almost to the
END by.a deep cn1on which left two immense
cliffs of rock frownlng at each other across the
great chasm. Where tho two walls Joined,
the cliff shot up to a towering height in n pin
nacle Of rock which bears tho most striking re-
semolance to an immense castle or fortress. II
was this which gave the name by which 1t was
known to..the. earliest explorers-El Moro.
But the present interest in this structure
does not centre in the stupendous rock, nor in
the marvellous beauty OF the cliff which ter.
inmates It. There is a more human interest
in 1t. more even than that which is aroused b.
the ruins Of two great pueblos which look at
each other across the chasm Which divides the
ridges forming the sides of the ". At the foot
OF the castle there tricklcs out a little spring,
tho only water to be found in IA long days ride.
and this made IL In the past, az 1t makes 1t
now, the natural stopping place for all travel
It's details po Of the taA eo mau; o Of New !ieHieo. but
there. are extant annals which give TO the
searcher for light many bits OF Information.
that may be patched together to make q har-
monious whole, which tell Of the fortltude.
the trials, and the sufferinGs of those men who
braved the d sngers of an unknown country
It'd an unknown horde OF sava yes TO carry
their faith to the heather and to search for
gold; These early explorers made the base OF
Ell Moro their resting place. and here they
left for those who followed after a record OF
their presence which has endured until the
The sandstone OF the cliff is very fine and
smooth. Just such a combination. as would In
thereon. and the Spanish explorers utilized It
as a registry of their passage. 1t is an
autograph album so valuable that II ought TO
be the proud boast OF the United States that IL
is within its possessions. 1t is doubtful, how
ever; If the authorities at Washington even
record of the early pioneers.
With their knives and probably their
swords. the Spanish soldiers carved their
names and generally. some slight allusion to
their mission upon the smooth surface of the
wall, and the result is that to-day this surface
the way to civilization in tho Southwest two
centuries before other, white men from the
canon and desert.
The Oldest identified autograph. as we'll as
the most important Of all the, many noble
300 years ago is. that OF the leader. Juan de
Onate. the real founder of New Mexico. the
tory Duty.es San Gabriel tSp and Eides Santa s1~f f., IN and sne one oert Of
the bravest explorers. that ever penetrated an
unknown country with. a handful of men. He
in search of the South Sea-" the Pacific
Ocean. and 1t was on his return from that won
less wilderness and desert that he encamped
at the foot of Ell MORO and left his modest in
s~criLtton upon that eternal page. Here is
what he wrote:
Paso per aqui ell ade!antado don Jua de onate al
descrubemendto de la mar del sur a 10 de Abril 40
Passed by here the officer. Don Juan de onate to
the discovery OF the sea OF the south on the 10th OF
April. year or l605.)
The lettering IL ANTIQUE and much abbreyi-
ated. but II is clear. and holds is appearance
well after the rain and wind OF three centuries.
fed autograph on the rock. There is one
which Is not absolutely certain, that of Pedro
Romero. who was probably, one Of the COM
ranions of Francisco Sanchez Chamuscado
during his remarkable search OF discovery In
the wear 1850. The writing Is either the an
tique style OF old spanish, or II has been tam
At all likely. The date reads apparently, 1900.
Here Here the d y was ei, .he 1873: with an added
: an old-fashioned /. making tie inscription
read Pedro Romero and 1850" The date
is probably the oldest on the stone-that is.
the Oldest written by, a Caucasian. for there
doub,edly ,precede any left by the explorers.
When Diego de Vargas reconQuered New
Mexico after the Pueblo Indian uprising.
which SWEPT back FOR a ;ine the tide of advanc-
ing civilization. he. 100. stopped to rest under
the giant rock. and this is the inscription left
as a valuable meinento Of the trip:
Aaui esLaba ell Gpnl. On. D. lie Vargas, outen con.
ynis.o q nasstro Santa Fe y a ia Real Corona toda ol
WuIepe was was the General Dom DON Diego pe de- yargas who
CONQUERED Tor our body faith and for the royal
or 1881
Close by the side of such names as those men,
toned and those of Arechuleta. Ynojos. Bar
bade. Godoy. ana Others as illustriouS. there Ii
u two-line inscription which. when read by the
light OF history; is most pathetic. 1t is from
the hand of a common soldier but he was
one of the garrison:.of three left to hIld the
conquered Iunls in subsection and was slain
BY the Indians in 100. This is the writings:
Soy de mano Felipe dc ArelIena. a 10 de setiem-
bre. sOldado.
q am from tho band OF Felipe de Arellano, on tho
leth of September. soldier.)
One year later q force" of six men went
from Santa Fe to Zuni. n march of 800 miles
through deserts and over mountains, to avenge
the massacre. This force left the name OF its
Captain, Juan de trribarri.
a plain and valuable autograph ia that OF
Diego Lucero de Godoy. an officer who was
with Gen. de Vargas i. his expeditions and
who was noted for his bravery. He was with
Gov. Ottermin when he hewed his way through
s~arming masses of Indians after the bloody
siege OF Santa Fe and fought a passage back to
FL Paso.
An unknown soldier has left n plain auto
graph with an early date: Juan Gonzales.
1929" Serenty-one years later another Con
zales wr.Ie:
Pasc por aqny Ell nno 1900. l.. Phi. Gonzales.
Passed 10y mere III the year 1900. /. Philip Con.
zulGs,)
Probably one Of the most peculiar inscrip-
lions on the rock 10 that or Ramon Paez Hur-
tnQO, He has combined in n uniOue manner