Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-06-04
INTERESTING HISTORY
History of Pueblo Ruins in New
MexicO-FrOm Ell. S. Eldredge Of
Albuquerque, New Mexico, for
Tribune Readers-History of La
Cuarai

The pueblo of La Cuarai was built
by Tlgua Indians, a remnant of
which tribe still exists in the pueb-
los of Gambia and Isleta on the Rio
Grande in New Mexico, and very
few Isleta del Sur on the Rio Grande
river in Texas, a few miles below El
Paso. 1t is supposed that the inhab-
itants Of La Cuarai were identical in
language and culture with the Tigua
Indians still living. The name is In
dian and it's meaning is unknown.
The first known history of La
Cuarai was at the advent of Father
Estavan de Perea, under whose su-
pervision, and through whose labor
the church was built, the ruin of
which is still standing. The exact
date of Father Estavan's labors
among the Tiguas is unknown, but
was sometime between 1917 and 1880.
1t is known that the church did not
exist at the first date, and in the lat
ter year the church is mentioned as
already existing, in the writings of
Father Benavides. The church was
dedicated according to the writings Of
the Franciscans, to the Immaculate
Conception, and is said to have had
erich affairs and vessels of silver"
Nothing is known of Cuarai from
1880 until 1643, when it is known
that the priests name at that time
was Father Juan de Salas. 1t is also
known that in 1859 Father Geron-
imo de la Vlana was priest, and his
body is buried in the old San Miguel
church at Santa Fe.
4h4
and 1869, the Cuaria Indians formed
plot with Mescalero Apaches for
the purpose of numbering the priest
and all the Spaniards stationed at
that place, but the plot was discov-
ered and the leader was put to death
by the Spaniards. The Apaches, the
ancient enemies Of the Cuarais, sue
ceeded in driving the latter out of
their town at about the year 1874
They fled to the pueblo of fatigue
which was also a Tigua city, and is
| located about twelve miles north and
east of Cuarai, and about twenty
miles north of Mountainair. The
church and apparently the town OF
Tajique was built of adobe, and the
| only ruins visible at this time is q
large mound overgrown by vegeta'
/
ton.
About a year later the Mescaleros
attacked the people of both Cuara
and Taiique, at the latter place, ane
drove them out, and the Tiguas ther
| fled to the Rio Grande, where mos
of them were settled by Spaniard
at Isleta del Sur in Texas. Their de
cendents are today almost completed,
Mexicanized, and only about hal
dozen persons still remember tn
Tigua, and only one attempts to us
it.
| The ruins of Cuarai was painte,
in the fall of 1911 by Karl Fleische
for the School of American Arch
aeology.. The land upon which tn
ruins stands is now owned by tn
Museum of New Mexico, and tn
work of systematic development wa
commenced in 1913. under the direc
ton of DIR. Edgar L. Hewett, In con
nection with the Mountainair Chau
tauqua. This year (1914) the annua
School of American Archaeology wi
close its sessions at Chautaugua, an
at the ruin of Cuarai, where the wor
of excavation will be continued ,ur
der Dr., Hewett's direction.
Chilli, at the north end of tn
Manazno range, was another Tigu
settlement, and the citv of Abo an
La Oran Ouiserva (Fabira), Will
existing, so far as we know, about tn
same time as the others mentione
and were invaded by the Spaniard
at about the same time. They wei
occupied and belonged to the Piro
About the same conditions pr
walls at the Abo church as at Cuara
but at the Gran Quivira, which ws
the most extensive of all the missic
ruins in this section, very little r
mains above ground, and no wol
looking toward the development I
either Abo or Oran Quivera has ev'
been done. Abo is located abo1
eleven miles southwest of Mountain
air. and Ouivira about twenty-fo7
miles southeast.
II The mysterious old apple trees
| Manzano, thirteen miles north
| Mountainair, and six miles north
| Cuarai. are supposed to have be-
! PLANTED nv the Franciscans sometln
| about 1920. but nothing of defini
| nature is known of their histo1
II (Continued on page 10Y