Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-02-15

share IT, OF these ruins, Gran Out
vlra, southeast Of Mountainair some
twenty miles, is the principal one and
that from which the highway ~
named. Cuarai is perhaps the best
known, since Il Is only a short dis
tnnee north OF Mountainair, almost
directly on the road. Taiique, Mon
tozuma, Abo, Ten-abo, Pueblo Blanco,
pardo and others lie nearby There
are also series Of prehistoric ruins
In the Gallinas mountains to the east
Of the Estancia valley.
Cunrai, Chilllli and Taiique were
the sites Of pueblo cities ages ago,
peopled by the Tiguas. Little is known
OF any OF them but that little is more
than has been discovered concerning
the PRO cities. Aho. Tcn-abo and Ia
bira (Which the Spaniards called Gran
Quivira). Probably Mountainair and
the other cities of the region were
also populated by the PRO.
Sometime before the Pueblo upris-
ing of 1850 the whole region was laid
waste by the Apaches and the three
Tigua communities congregated Mt
fatigue. where they We're later joined
by the survivors OF the PRO triad.
Then the Apaches succeeded in driv-
alive. The Tiguas went 10 lsleta, on
the Rio Grande n short distance below
Alhuquerquc, and to lsleta del Sur,
below El Paso. The PRO went Ia
Senecu, in the state of Chihuahua,
Mexico. where n few years ago there
were but sixty members Of the tribe
surviving and these had become Mex
icani2ed To all intents and purposes.
At 1sleta del sur there are but six
of the Tlguas left who have not lost
an relation TO their tribal customs
and speech OF the old times, and but
one who still attempts TO speak the
Tigua language. When the Tiguas
and their friends, the PRO, had been
driven out the Apaches destroyed the
pueblo of fatigue. SO that today all
lbs remains are a series of mounds
Of adobe, overgrown with vegetation.
fatigue was the only pueblo OF the
region constructed of adobe, all the
others being of stone. Why adobe
was used IN this instance is some
thing Of puzzle, since stone was
abundant and convenient on the
mountain slope but clay for bricks
had to be brought IA long way. There
have never been any great excavations
made at Tajique, though the mounds
undoubtedly contain many interesting
relics
A Spanish settlement was made
near Tajique early in the last century,
about 1906, according to the accounts
Of old residents. though the first his
torical mention of the place is dated
1884. Near Manzano, which Is on
the road between fatigue and Noun
tainair are a number of apple trees
which IT Is supposed were planted by
the Franciscans when they established
their missions in the region early In
the seventeenth century These trees
were about the same size when the
Spanish first settled in the region to
adapt 1t to their own use as they are
today and never since that settlement
was made have they failed TO bear
fruit each year. They are not cult
waited or irrigated.
! ON the same road lies Cuarai, a
vast stone pile which causes the OBJ
server to speculate, with mingled feel
ings of awe and admiration, how the
Indians of the past, without metal
tools of any sort. could build such a
structure, an edifice whose walls have
withstood siege and fire as well and
the elements for unknown centuries.
Cuarai had many chambers and was
once very lofty The decay of the
wooden beams used in It, however.
and the hands of vandals. have in
jured parts of it.
South of Mountainair and directly
on the road is the city the Indians
knew as Tabira, which was later
called La Gran Quivira by the Span
iards who visited it in hope of finding
vast stores of gold, rumors of which
had been current in Mexico for many
years The most interesting struc-
lures now standing at Quivira are the
two churches, the larger and newer
OF which was left unfinished when the
pueblo was abandoned. 1t was built
by Fray Francisco de Acevedo be-
tween 1925 and 1914 In the group
Of ruins southwest Of Mountainair
which includes the Quivira are Monte
yuma, Pardo, Pueblo Blanco and some
others. probably older. II is a dun
motorist indeed who cannot spend an
hour or so al least among the remains
Of a forgotten people as here dis
played
The road forks ut Monntainair,
there being a branch south 10 Ros-
well and a branch west through Abo
canyon past the ruins OF Abo and
Ten-abo. the pointed rocks of Abo and
the ancient fort. built no one knows
whom. This pass is probably the
easiest all-year pass across the New
Mexico mountains. The branch
through 1t joins the Ocean-to- Ocean
highway near sails, SO that there is no
difficulty in using the pass in a trans
continental trip
The south fork passes ont by the
Qnivira group and southeast past In
dian lake to Carriz0Zo the governors
home. There a second fork leaves the
parent line, running southwest along
the railroad into III Paso where il
connects with the Borderland route
The main road continues. over the
mountains To Roswell
This portion Of the highway Is q
motorists paradise. THE road is aplen-
did. being kept up for the daily use
Of an automobile mail stage from
Roswell to Carrizozo and the scenery
beyond description. The country IS
of the rugged mountain variety with
a wealth Of large pine timber to lend
it beauty Of color The road winds
about up the canyons and down into
the lower parks and reaches where
streams sparkle and trout leap. Spleen
did engineering work is evidenced on
every hand in the mountains and al
most every turn Of the highway
brings some fresh view into the field
of vision. The last few miles Of the
route are through the fertile valley of
the Pecos, over excellent roads that
run between apple orchards and al
falfa fields
The entire route is over roads
which at the worst may be graded as
fair and in many sections are really
excellent. There are frequent towns
where gasoline may be obtained, there