Bisbee daily review., 1903-08-30
Brave Xaqui Women.

Of Mexico by mountains and great acres of alkali wastes. There has been less development in the Yaqui region than elsewhere in Mexico, and the Indians live as their ances ors did a century ago. They are gradually thinning cut owing to the warfare they have conducted ceaselessly TOT years When Cortez and his army came to Mexico in 1519 there were 350,C00 Ya-uis In the uprising against the armed forces under Coro- nado. which invaded Northern Mexi. co and pushed out what are now 1542. the Yaquis lost 10000 men in one year In 1872 there remained ibCut 37,0O0 YaGuis, and today there are 5000.
 During the Cortez invasion of the empire of Montezuma, the Yaquis
 were the most ilt hctable fighters, and were the last of all the tribes to
 yield to the conquest. The old Va qui chief. Andlazar, was the hercest
 warrior Cortez found in Central Alex
 ico. In the battle of Tlascala the loss
 of Yaqui soldiers alone was over
 4000. The legends of the Yaqui tribe
 are full of the cruelties practiced up- on their race by the Spanish con- questadoTes. In enc day at the an--
 cient city of Isleta. legend has it,
 600 men and women were put to death by hanging, shooting. throwing
 from pIecipices. burning and drown
 ing. In 1912 the Spanish authorities
 in Mexico reported to the king of
 Spain that the Yaqui population had
 diminished from 16O.000 to 37,00O in
 about eigh y years. The five ancient
 pueblos of Ankezas, Ingunda, Molle-
 mi, Carillo and Gaunadjito, each
 cortaining 5000 people. were entire
 ly wiped cut in century of massa.
 cres, prosecutions and wholesale exc
 cuticns for trifiing offenses Every
 building in Carillo was burned and
 razed by the YaQui population and
 diminished from the Spanish troops,
 about 1765, and for weeks squads of Yaquis were marched out daily to be
 shot. All this was because a rich old l turquoise mine had been concealed by ! the Indians from their conquerors. l The story of the cruelties visited upon the Yaquis by the Spanish were
 handed down as traditions through
 a long course of generations until the
 war in Mexico in 1910 for independ-
 ence from Spain. Then the whole
 tribe threw its heart ani strength | into that conquest. They were Gen. 1 eral lturbide's most useful soldiers. The Yaqui women camped with their
 husbands and sons on the battlefelds,
 and sang songs while the men went 1 cut and fought for the freedom of
 their country from the Spanish yoke.
 When the war was over in September, 1912, and Mexico was free, they re- i turned to their. pueblos and ranches
 among the mountains and valleys. For twenty-five years the tribe was at i peace. They developed their fields, | Teopered heir mines and fer the
 first time since Cortez, increased in 1 population. The tribe is famous for 1 it's industries. The Yaquis estab- l lished the first free schools in Mexico. i and they welcomed Roman Catholic | missionaries. When the American
 army marched into Mexico in IS47 ! the Yaquis could not at first be | coaxxed from the mountains and val.
 leys of Sonora to join the Mexicans. | Finally, however, on promises that ! additional land would be given the
 tribe, some 5000 Qaqui braves joined | the Mexican forces.
 From the time of the tres.y of l Guadeloupe Hidalgo. in February. 1S48. until July, 1896, the tribe has | never really been al peace with the republic of Mexico. Thei: constant | grievance has been that the Mexican
 government did not keep its prom ise to give them more land. They have spent their earnings for fifty i years and sacrificed 10000 lives war l ring for this promise. The Mexicans
 have lost 15,0O0 soldiers in the "a. | qUi warfare .. No one knows how much the Yacuf campaigns have cost the Mexican a
 tion. The whole yaqui tribe was for several years at a time a constantly
 armed camp of beligerents agaiust
 Mexico. Most Yaqui youths have
 borne arms at IA and been veterans
 at 20. \ lsS