Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1905-10-21
INTERESTING LEGEND
or CLIFF JEWELLERS
HOW mooUis TELL or EARLY
FEATs, FEARFUL WARS. AND
SUBSEQUENT WANpE RINGS or
THEIR ANCESTORS.

Capt John Moss. a la Plata county
pioneer. relates the following legend
of the cliff dwcllers. AZ obtained by
him from the head men of a Moqui
pueblo, which he visited On route
from California
The whole Of la Plata county. Colo.
RADIO, just north OF San Juan COZ -
n NJ. as IL now stands on the maps.
was once land Of paradise, densely
/ populated lts inhabitants lived In
peace and harmony with the world,
as known Ia them. They knew moth
/ INK Of the arts Of war and their lands
produced abundanily. They were a
happy and prosperous people and
lived In the love and fear OF their
God Hut eventually terrible tremb'
/ ling OF the earth occurred. The waters
disappeared and great mountains oc'
I cupied their places. while old noun.
tains crnmbled into dust and new
water courses appeared. The larger
part OF the people we're destroyed.
The remainder, however continued
their former avocationa, made new
homes and again began to prosper
and multiply They discovered a yell
low metallic substance In many Of the
streams. and a bright white metal In
the mountains. Tney began 90 use
these metals In barter and trade with
one another According 10 the Moqui
tradition and by their method of com.
putting time this must have occurred
about nix thousand years ago This
condition OF affairs prevailed until
within % thousand Yeas ago, when
they were visited by savage strangers,
whom they treated Hospitality These
visits became more frequent and an
n0ying Tho troublesome nelghbors
| began 10 forage upon thom. and de.
yastatoh their farms.
So. 10 save their lives, they built
houses high mp on the cliffs, where
,hey could store food and hide away
until the Invaders should leave. But
one summer the northern nomads
came with thoir families and settled
down, laying Siege, as 81 were. Driven
[ from their homes and lands, and star
wing IN their little uighcs on The rockH.
I they could only steal away at uiEht,
and wander from place 20 place across
iho mCshs. Al the CrlstOne. OF last
battle ground, near the head of Nc.
{ Elmo canyon they halted for rest ana
I io make preparations for crossing the
great lake (now the lower portion al
| Montozuma valley aud extending
/ south and west into the desert lands
0f Ariz0nal Here they erected for
tifiehlions and watch towers. and
filled the adjoining caves fun OF 10 ts
I for these human wrens and sparroWs
until their boats could he built When
the last Of iho women and chIlirou
I we're embarked and well ont 90 sea
tho alarm and signal were given from
I one of Inc watch towers that their
/ foes had pursued and were upon them
For long months the mortimer
/ fought ana were driven back, hut as
often fhey came again with renewed
numbers AZ length. however the be-
I sieecrs we're driven away liut the
tradition goes ON 20 say M evidence
ol the great battle. that The hollow
OF tho rocks were filled "a tho brim
with the mangled bodies ANA blood of
e0nqucrora ana conquered. and Dat
red veins of blood ran down tho can.
! yon. 20 was "a victory such as they
could not afford 20 risk again, and
/ therefore they soon followed their
wives ana children across the water
There Ia iho deserts Of Arizona. on
au isolated. Wen nigh unappr0achablo
bluff or mesa they built new towers
and their fow tuBcendantE, the MOauis
live in them antil this day, preserving
more carefully ana purely the history
and yencrauon OF their foreiathera
and 40 love and fear God than many
more enlightened nations. Aztec In
dex.