Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-10
NEW MEXICO.
Quite a Peculiar State, With an Inter.
estind History.


Quito a Peculiar State, With an Inter
estins History.
Youngest among the states, New
Mexico Is oldest among the communi
ties Of the Union. It was the cente
and principal seat of the highest civ
lization Of the aboriginal inhabitant
of what is now the United States, ant
later 1t was the administrative focus
of the earliest European colonization
In our territory. That 1t, and its com
panion state, Arizona, were the las
divisions Of the contiguous continental
dominion of the republic, whose peo.
pie were admitted to the full measure
of the privileges and responsibilities
Of Americans Is due, in part, to the
events Of the past, that make the story
Of New Mexico unique among the his.
tories Of the states. Credulous Spair
in the sixteenth century accepted as
true a story that 800 years earlier 9
bishop Of Lisbon, fleeing from the
Arabs, had escaped to some islands in
the west and there had founded seven
cities. The Mexicans, whom Corte7
overcame, explained the origin Of their
race by saying they had issued from
seven caves in the north. The Eu-
ropean myth and the American folk
lore tale were compared and 1t was
but natural that a search should be
made for the seven cities Of Cibola,
Cabeza de Vaca wandered across the
continent to Mexico and in 1886 told
wonderful stories of the stone cities
he had heard Of.
The viceroy sent Fray Marcos de
Mia, q Franciscan friar, on an .expe-
dition to investigate. This was the
first party of white men to enter what
Is now New Mexico. They came In
sight of q five-story terraced Indian
village and hastened back to tell great
tales Of rich cities whose walls were
bursting with silver and gold. Under
the great Coronado, the Spanish in
1889 set out to reduce these rich cities,
but Coronado found only the Indian
pueblos. He had, 1t is true. found the
evidences Of the highest state Of So
ciety existing in America north OF
Mexico, but being in search Of treasure
only, he was disappointed. Forty
years later, in 1881, pious monks ex-
tended their missionary efforts into
the territory, and 1t was given rhe
name New Mexico" largely because
the people 80 closely resembled the
inhabitants Of Mexico proper.
The first considerable colony was
planted in 1898, and after moving two
or three times, was permanently es-
tablished at Santa Fe, which is, with
the exception Of st. Augustine, In
Florida, the oldest city in the United
States. Santa Fe was founded some
time between 1903 and 1907 on the site
of a ruined pueblo and since that time
has been, save for few years follow
ing the Indian revolution Of 1880, the
capital and seat of government for the
+. When the Spanish established their
permanent government here. a govern
ment that was to exercise its author
ity for more than 200 years, John
Smith had not yet sighted the capes
of Virginia, the Mayflower had not
sailed on it's momentous voyage, and
the rise Of an English speaking nation
in America had not been dreamed OF.
Yet these same Spanish colonists
found on their arrival here an order
ly people peacefully engaged in ag-
riculture, inducing the desert to flower
by means of artificial irrigation, sub
mitting themselves to system Of gov
ernment that is continued in their
pueblos to this day, and possessed of
no inconsiderable skill in the mechan-
ical arts.
The people lived in high terraced
houses Of many stories, constructed
with a design that comprehended both
the requirements Of a rude sense OF
comfort and the necessity Of defense
against the depredations Of the saw
age Indians. The story of these an
cient people and their still more an
cient ancestors, the cliff dwellers, is
being worked out bit by bit by the
scholars, and here in New Mexico is
their most fruitful field Of endeavor.
1t Is the oldest community under the
stars and stripes.
The Spanish colony in New Mexico
was almost a century old when the
Pueblos arose, repudiated Christianity
massacred the priests and drove the
white man from the country. After
a decade the Spaniard came back
again, not with the sword, but with the
persuasive arts Of peace, and took up
dominion. For a century and a half
he stayed and ruled. His colony grew
slowly, but his religion took firm hold
and he left upon the people and the
state an indelible impress. There was
more or less trouble with the savage
Indians, but the general status Of the
colony was unchanged, and not un-
til the end Of Spanish rule in conti-
mental America was approaching did
the people Of New Mexico so much as
know that a powerful nation was In
the making on the eastern coast of
their continent.
Napoleon Bonaparte sold Louisiana
to Mr.. Jefferson, and as result of
that sale New Mexico is the forty
seventh star in the flag Of the United
States. The Spanish colonies of the
southwest had never attempted to
even with the Spanish
colony at the mouth Of the Mississippi
except by way Of Vera Cruz and the
sea. When Louisiana again became
French, and, almost Immediately
American. the New Mexicans cared
little, nor did they suspect what 1t
meant to them. But the Ink was
hardly dry on the documents that
transferred Louisiana to the United
States before adventurous traders
from Illinois. Kentucky and Missouri
sent out trade expeditions over the
nIain, IN find the business OF the