Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-05-21
THE PUEBLO
OF PEC0S
The Origin Of the Name Traced
IN an Interesting Manner by
Ex-Governor |. B. Prince.
THE RIVER
AND THE TOWN
At One Time the Largest Settlement i'm
What is Now the United States of
America

The following article on the name of
the PecOs River was written by Hon,
l.. Bradford Prince in response to an
application of the Historical Society
of Texas, asking for information as to
the origin of the name.
The name Pecos is not of Spanish
origin, and when the word now occurs
in Spanish, it is of comparatively re-
cent use. and is undoubtedly derived
from the name of the river, or that of
the town from which the river itself is
named.
Thus. there is a weed which is found
on the plains in a number Of parts of
New Mexico, known as the "Yerba de
Peco' 1t is poisonous TO animals,
and at times has been very destruc-
tive. Among the Mexican people it
has high reputation as love potion
and woman intent on securing the
undying affection of the object of her
choice. has only to administer very
small amount of the leaf of this invaI-
liable plant, either in food or drink, tn
insure his most passionate and endur-
ing love. The effect is said to be in
Simultaneous and overwhelming: so
much so, that the man is no longer re-
sponsible for his actions, as he is act
ing under the power of an irresistible
spell; and when man shows sud
den infatuaton for woman. that can
not otherwise be accounted for, the
Mexican women, with feminine lack of
appreciation of their fortunate sister,
say. "She must have given him Yerba
de Peco.''
The Pecos River is undoubtedly
named from the chief town which ex-
listed on its headwaters, known to us
as the Pueblo de Pecos
At the time of the expedition of
coronado, this was altogether the most
important of the Pueblo Indian vii
lagos and certainly exceeded in its
population and the character of its
buildings. any other town in the new
world, north of the City of Mexico II
seems strange to think that the largest
and most important permanent seat of
population in what is now the United
| States, at the time of the discovery OF
| America, was situated in the mountain
Gus region of New Mexico, but such is
the fact: and its ruins should be an
object of highest interest to all who
pass within plain sight of them, when
travelling with all the swiftness and
convenience of modern invention. on
the Santa Fe line.
The first news of it's existence that
came to any white man, was when
Coronado's little army was resting, in
July. 1910, at Cibola, the moderl,
Zuni, and awaiting the return of the
exploring party under Cardenas, that
had been sent by Coronado to visit the
MoQui towns, and the wonderful Grand
Canon of the Colorado 1t was then
that a company of strangers from the
far east presented themselves. under
command of man of much lntelll-
gence and charm of manner, known in
history only as Bigotes, because his
beard was his noticeable feature. He
came as an envoy to welcome the
Spaniards and invite them to his city,
and in his description of the country
to the east he laid special stress on
|
cows (buffaloes) which covered the
plains. and from which it is afterward
called by the chroniclers "the Buffa-
10 country"
The city was then called Cicuic. and
the first mention of the Pecos River is
in the following words, "a great and
very deep river which flows near CT
nI "a
de Cicuic" On the return of Corona
dos expedition from Quiyera. one de-
| tachment of his little army struck the
river quite a distance below the town.
and was compelled to march up its
banks. until they reached Cicuic ITSELF
The vast herds of buffaloes in the VII
cinity. formed the characteristic fea-
ture of the country.
There is now no doubt of the iden-
tity of Cicuic with the more modern
Pecos: but there has been strange
confusion as to its name. The only
edition of Castaneda's narration of Co.
ronados march which was available to
Americans. until very recently. was
the French translation published by
Ternaux Compans. in Paris. in 1888.
and in this the name is always print
ed Cicuye, with an acute accent on the
final "e.' This was naturally followed
by Davis. Simpson. Bandelier. Ban
croft. etc. and. singularly enough. also
by Winship, whose excellent opportu.
mites for accurate information. should
have preserved him from the error
Besides the narration of the Casta-
media. there is another history of this
expedition. by Captain Juan Jaramillo.
| which Though more brief WAS nuhlisb