The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1911-03-04

south Of the line u the santa Fc, IN
the Zuni country, stands ~ MORO. For
milce around, rising from The plan
nbnptlv. are low tahlclands, their
crcsts blackened by hasaliic outerops
On every side loom great white ANA
red sandstone buiirs. Of many fantastic
shapes. some presenting the appearance
OF facadcs Of heavy Egyptian or'h'iec'
ture. ~ MORO. u quadrangulor mass
Of sandstone. pcarlv white in the noon
day sun, rising over three hundred feet
from the plain, d, q striking natural
monument owing 10 iis massive charac'
ter aud the Egyptian styles Of Is nat
ural domcs and hu'trcsscs. wrought 10y
erosion Of wind and rain.
Skirting this ,turcndous mass. on IT,
northern side. the visitor arrives ~ IT,
eastern terminus. where % is possible to
ascend y low mound living at its base
Coming 20 the top Of this slight cle'
walton aud approaching the vertical
face, we 6nd some Of the inscriptions
carved in solid rock-bundrcd. u them,
beautifully wrought, most In spanish,
some in Latin, all of them very ancient,
one having been chislcd In stone in 1905.
Other beautiful Inscriptions and rctro.
glyphs are found on The south side "
the rock.
Wherever the Inscriptions are found
the rock j. Of q plain surface and he
position vertical They are generally
no higher from hc base than the height
of an ordinary man. II would not hc
possible here To give reproductions uf
the great number 1T inscriptions. Two
of the plates give the reader some idea
Of their character aud workmanship
Diego de Vargas. whose usmc appears
in the plate showing the inscription
made in 1889. was captain general aud
governor ~ New Mckee at that time.
lie Is known in history ns the ]rccouquis
tabor. General .Iuau acl llurtado.
whose name also appears, was au officer
under DE Vargas aud was rttorwar j.
governor ct New Mexico.
To-day the spanish inscriptions m"
IN the minority. modern names having
been added to profusion, aud IN some
places the ancient aud historically val.
uable memorials have hccu scrarcd IN
Fortunately, before amy vt thu. Am"ri.
can tourist vandalism occurred. G,ucr.
nj james H. simpson. in lN49. made
copies Of ai the Inscriptions at that
time recoverable. aud these have been
preserved % co., In his rrl,ot, ~ ,hc see
Rotary OF war lu 1850.
The most ancient inscription upou
the rock commemorate, the return ut
Juan DO Ornate from his trip "a the
Gulf of California. II hears the date
Of April 18th, lGuT ihc inscription
:rads; "raso rnr ncq 81 'lclantado
Don Juan be- Ornate del dcscuhrimicuto
Gle Ia Mar del sur o ~ he April 1905. ''
The next date wa. the wear 1919.
\ very we'll executed inscription com
memorate the passage ~ the Moro hy
the Governor Don Francisco de- sylvia
Nicto IN lG9H, aud another hi, return
from the Iuui puchlos, having p]aciied
them and established pcrmancn, mis-.
siohs. Both Of these Inscriptions ap.
car upon the northern wall. They are
~ follows;
"'Aqui leaaccd1 nador Don Francis.
GO aunucl de- silva Nicto lEnaccdl
que 10 vmpucihlc 'icue s. o sub i"to ,i
brace v]nduhitahle III balor con Do,
'us,o. irl Rel uto SENIOR cnsa que solo
81 pu.o 81 este cfccto d. Ahgo,'u "
s"i, ,irutos hicutc y uuchr que .ilirgr.
hicI % Cuni pasc y lu Pc L,ur. which,
being translated reads. Through here
passed the Goycruor France. Name.
lie sylvia Nicto, whose ,alur and nm.
flinchlug arm have overcome the i'm.