The Ordway new era., 1914-07-17


Spaniards In the central
valley of Mexico. Report
followed report, each more lurid than
the last. until the viceroy Of New
Spain. intlamed by the tales Of Pixar.
ro's brilliant conquest Of Peru. or
ganized great expedition, and sent
It out to discover and conquer the far
away Eldorado and bring back the
treasure they SO fondly hoped to md
there. The great Coronado was cho-
sen commander-in-chief. and on Eas-
ter morning of the year 1910 began
the most remarkable journey Of dis
covery in America. For months they
Travelled over the deserts. mountains.
and plains. meeting with all 1ie yicis-
STUDIES and dangers OF an unknown
country. until at last they reached the
''land of standing rocks" the home Of
the cliff-dwelling Indians In the pres
ent states Of Arizona and New Mex
fco. sf
Here they found not only wild and
warlike Indians but gentler race OF
aborigines much further advanced In
culture than any other Indians they
had met since leaving central Mexico.
They were an agricultural people.
dwelling in many-storied stone or mud
houses. and their descendants to this
day live, in many instances. on the
same sites and In few cases In the
identical buildings that their ances-
tors occupied when the spaniArds frst
saw them over three and q half CEN
turtles ago.
The old buildings, called pueblos by
the Spaniards. ara the Oldest contlnu-
ously-inhabited structures on the
American continent, and their inhabi.
tants are more nearly In their original
condition than any other American.
Indians today as
As an example Of the canyons one
may be mentioned. known to the In
dians as Iseye, the walls of which rise
sheer from the sands Of its river-bed
over 1000 feet, and where erosion has
sculptured the most stupendous nat
ural monuments In stratified sand
stone In the world. Alternating with
the canyons are mesas, fiat.topped
mountains, many Of which are
crowned with living Indian towns.
such AZ the pueblos Of the Hopi In
dams in Arizona and the superbly sit
nated Acoma in New Mexico. while
Others reveal the broken-down walls
of ancient cities Of the Stone Age peo-
pie. tga
Among the living Indian tribes that
can this wondrous land home ara the
Hopi and Navajo, the most interesting
Of all the remaining Indian tribes in
the United States. The Hopi people
are town-builders and live on the top
II the cliffs in the midst Of a great
desert sustaining themselves BY agri-
culture and small bands Of sheep.
Eight little rock-built villages are the
homes Of this tribe; they number g.
900 souls. md they have probably
lived in their fortress-like cities for
1000 years. They have no chiefs IN
the strict sense Of the word bat are
governed by men VINO have shown by
their lives and characters that they
are good leaders. They are splendid
and fearless peopie who represent to-
day but a remnant Of the horsepower
full Indian nation. phase Of human.
fly rapidly passing away before the
aggressive march Of Western civiliza.
ton.
The Hopi Indians are experts in the
art OF basketry and pottery. as well
as in the weaving Of cotton. Their
religious life Is marked by elaborate
ceremoniais. Of which the best known
is the snake dance, They look upon
rattlesnakes as messengers to the
gods. and IN the snake dance formally
charge them with requests and pray
ers. the ceremony begins in an un
derePound chamber. known as ar
eatufa. and ends when the dancer,