The Coconino sun., 1925-10-16

OF the spanish padfeS III the Soutn-
west. Every one of you has a GER
tain knowledge of these pioneers Of
the cross still, thought it would be
OF some interest to you to deliver a
paper, dealing not on all The works
Of the Spanish padres in the south
west-thisF would require too much
time-but on the works Of the fathers,
Marcus de Nizza and Padilla in New
Mexico, and Of Kino and Garces in
Arizona, the first pioneers Of these
two states.
Less than % years after Columbus
! touched at San Salvador, Cortes had
completed the subjugation of the
Aztec capital of Mexico. With this
event, missionary work began in ear
nest on the continent. A devoted
band of Spanish priests imEediately
set about the conversion OF the native
population, and before 1924 a church
was built upon the site of the present
cathedral in the City of Mexico. The
natives accepted willingly the chris
ton faith and incredible advances
/ we're made by the newly established
church until in 1889, ~ years after
Columbus landed, it had spread be-
yond the present border Of Mexico,
/ into the trackless wilderness Of Ari-
zona and New Mexico.
I The causes leading to the first mis-
/ sionary excursion INTO the present
| territory of the. United States ale full
/ of romantic interest. CabeZa de Vaca
and three companions, survivors OF
the expedition Of Narvaez to the coast
| OF Florida in 1928, wandered on foot
| through southern swamps and sa-
vannas until, footsore and ,bedraggled,
! they arrived about April, 1886, at
Spanish settlements in Mexico.
In their aimless wandering, re-
ports had reached them through the
/ Indians whom they met Of populous
cities with many-storied houses and OF
mines of precious metal lying to the
north and west of their paths in the
! country now comprising Arizona and
/ New Mexico Relating the tales they
had heard, the viceroy, Antonio de
Mendoza, was stirred with the ambi-
ton to acquire this land for his mas
I ter, the king, and to christianize its
4 Inhabitants.
4 Looking about for a suitable agent
/ to make the necessary reconnaissance,
! Fray Marcos de Nizza, a Franciscan,
offered to undertake the task and was
promptly commissioned by the viceroy
4 to penetrate the unknown country to
/ the north and to report whatever OF
! interest to~the cause of religion or OF
country might be found.
I Armed with the commission from
7 Mendoza, he started out from San
Il A,Io N74Iio M on
I March z. 1889, accompanied by Friar
/ Onoxato, Estevanito, a Moroccan ne
gro, and a number of Indians. Este
vanito was one of the survivors of the
+ ill-fated expedition of Nayaez, and
had made the overland journey from
Florida to Mexico with Cabeza de
Vaca. Onorato fell i'll when the Rio
del Fuerte was reached, and was sent
back. The others of the party pushed
/ forward, crossing the rios Mayo and
Iaqui, and reached place near the
present Matapa in Sonora about the
middle of April; from this point Este
vanito was sent ahead to blaze the
way.
Marcos de Nizza followed the route
I indicated by the negro and entered
/ the territory Of Arizona at the point
where the San Pedro river crosses the
I line. Ascending the San Pedro, he
branchcd off near the present site Of
i Benson, crossed the Gila and Salt
rivers and the White mountains, and
probably reached the southern head
/ waters Of the Little Colorado river.
! Here, within two days travel of the
seven cities of Cibola, as his destina-
! ton was known to him, terrified
j Indian met him and related how Este
+ varito had reached the first of the
cities and had been murdered By its
j inhabitants. This news dashed the
/ hopes OF the good friar, and dlssipated
j the splendid visions he had enter
tained during all his days of patient
plodding. His escort, fearful of
meeting the same fate, at first re-
! fused to go any farther ahead. De
/ Nizza succeeded, however, in induc-
/ ing few of them to accompany him
ITO an eminence, where from afar he
caught fugitive view of the object
of his desire, the terraced Indian
pueblo of Zuni, N. NJ Building pile
Of rock in sight of the village, and
raising wooden cross, he took pos
i session of the country for his catho-
! lie majesty, and gave IL the name OF
/ the New Kingdom of St. Francis.
/! Then, he retraced his steps, YEARLY
but cheerfully, to Culiacan.
Such is the story of the first Euro
pean entry into Arizona negro and
few Mexican Indians, led by a sin
gle priest on mission intended to
open the way to the cross, obeying the
command Of his Divine Master: go
teach all nations"
Surely, it is not too much to say
that Marcos de Nizza performed q
heroic feat when he returned to
Culiacan after his journey, covering
over 1900 miles, in an air line. Still
he was not discouraged; rather did
his experience urge him to renewed
effort. He made his report to the
viceroy in September, 1889, speaking
not of his hardships, but of the Won
derful things he had seen and of the
limitless possibilities in souls and in
wealth, in the conquest of his New
Kingdom Of ST. Francis. Mendoza
was filled with enthusiasm at the re-
port, and set about the organization
of a military expedition for the ex-
ploration and subjugation Of the new
~ discovered country. The governor