The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-03-26
OLD PUEBLO CITY.
lcoma Found BY Explorer Coronado
in 1912.

the oldest CITY in the Western HemlS-
Dhere. 1t was in full bloom when
Coronado in 1542 came across 1t on
an exploring tour northward from
Mexico. He found. says the Ioron-
to Mail and Empire, the Pueblo In
dians doing things that they are do
ins to-day and doing it in the same
fashions, and the houses on the
rocky islands that rise several hum
dred feet out of the plains are the
same houses that Coronado's eyes
rested on as he came on the Indian
city
St. Augustine, which is often re-
ferred to as the oldest city in the
United States, was not found until
1853. when Menendez came on Florl-
da, while chasing a French ship un-
der Rebault. Years before Corona
do found it Aeoma was a recognized
abode of the Pueblo Indians. The
Pueblos told Coronado that their
first city was on katzimo, the
rocky island three miles away,
which is also called the Enchanted
Mesa" Many years ago, they told
the Spanish explorer, the original
Acoma rested on the top of katzlmo.
One day, while all but three Wo-
men were in the plains below the
table!and, great cliff fell, Destroy
ing the trail from the plains to the
ancient city. The Indians took this
as an indication of the Great
Spirits displeasure over something
they had done, 'and to punish them
had cut off the path to their city.
Instead of clearing the path and re-
turning to their old homes on top
of Natzimo the Publos went to an
adjoining tableland and there set
up the present city Of Acoma, the
same city that Coronado visited IN
1912
The Pueblos look at the old city
on it's rocky site nearly 400 feet IN
the air, as a sacred place, and woe
to the person caught trying to pene-
trate it's precincts.
The present city of Acoma is on a
plateau that rises $50 feet out OF
the arid plains of New Mexico. The
sides of the plateau, a mass Of brown
sandstone, are almost straight. TO
get to the top one must climb a
crude stairway cut in the stone. On
top one will find three or four rows
of primitive apartment houses. These
houses are three stories high and are
built on each side of streets 1000
feet long. The houses follow a line
that seems even straighter than the
building line in big cities, since, the
houses are all of the same type OF
architecture and are built up close to
the line. The streets, too. are 100
feet wide, which may be another fea-
ture that modern city builders may
have copied from the red men of the
southwest.
One may be sure that the Pueblos
did not get the idea of broad streets
and building lines from the white
mans cities, for 1O0-foot streets and
building lines were laid down years
and years before palefaces came
across the ocean. These things were
a part of Acoma when Coronado call
ed on the Pueblos in 1912. Another
feature of this quaint city is that
houses have fiat roofs. The upper
floors are reached by outside stair
ways in the shape of ladders. The
second floor is ten feet shorter than
the first and the third floor is ten
feet shorter than the second. eThls
ten feet serves as yards for each OF
the apartments. In summer the In
dian and family use, this yard for
sleeping. In winter he sleeps in
doors.
Houses are built of mud, ordinary
New Mexico mud, shaped into blocks
and baked hard. After centuries un-
der the fierce rays of the sun the
blocks get as hard as stone. The walls
are seamless. After the blocks were
placed, the Indian builders smeared
the Joints with mud, which in time
became part of the blocks. The walls
of most of the houses are eight feet
thick. In the early days they were
often attacked by the warning In
dians of the southwest, as they knew
the Pueblo city was always we'll
stocked with foodstuff. In the city
is a cathedral 40 feet wide and 40
feet high. 1t has two towers in
which swing bells. The cathedral is
built of mud just as the other houses
in the settlement The roof is sup
ported by rafters that would serve
as masts in big sailing ships. These