Appendix 4 Historical Narrative FORT SELDEN MILITARY RESERVATION to have crossed the Jornada del Muerto, in 1591 Prehistory (Riley 1999:32–34, 45–47). R. H. McKay recalled in 1918 that while serving as the post surgeon at Fort Selden, he and a Oñate began his expedition from Santa Bárbara, group of officers standing on the parade ground Chihuahua, México, on January 26, 1598, discovered a human skull just under the surface. traveling with as many as 560 persons. A The post commander had the flexed burial number of the soldiers brought their families as unearthed, “but the bones crumbled upon being well as their servants and slaves. Most of the exposed to air” (R. H. McKay, quoted in soldiers were young men, and the 3 oldest were Caperton 1975:74). Thomas J. Caperton, former around 60 years old. Oñate was in his mid to late Director of the New Mexico State Monuments 40s. At least one soldier was a mulatto, and (NMSM), speculates the individual discovered among the servants and slaves were Indians, was associated with the Jornada (A.D. 800– mestizos, and blacks (Riley 1999:43–44). Also 1300) or Mimbres (A.D. 1000–1300) branch of accompanying Oñate were a group of Tlascalan the Mogollon, based on the existence of a Indians, a woman native of Pant-ham-ba Pueblo Mogollon site on the fort grounds north of the (near Galisteo) called Doña Inés, and 12 corrals and east of the officers’ quarters Franciscans. The soldiers carried a banner with (Caperton 1975:74; see also Cordell 1997:360– an image of Our Lady of the Remedies 361). Prehistoric ceramics recovered from an (Gutiérrez 1991:48). area near the present visitor center suggest to Oñate’s enormous entourage included perhaps archaeologist David T. Kirkpatrick (1988:20) 1,200 horses, 1,500 cattle, and thousands of that Mesilla phase individuals occupied the area, sheep and goats. The soldiers’ personal weapons followed by Doña Ana and El Paso phase included harquebuses and swords, and they occupations. brought armor for themselves as well as their During the early 1970s excavations, horses. The expedition traveled with quantities archaeologists recovered numerous potsherds, of a variety of goods including iron tools, some lithics, and remnants of at least one pit house 13,500 nails, clothing and rolls of cloth, grinding north of the corrals. Since the focus of these stones, an assortment of food, medicines and excavations was the United States occupation of medicinal supplies, mining equipment, the fort, however, the archaeologists paid little blacksmithing equipment, gunpowder, sheet lead attention to the prehistoric occupation (Michael for ammunition, and artillery. The trade goods R. Taylor, personal communication 2001). included rosaries and 80,000 trade beads. Their equipment was transported in 80 wagons and Spanish Contact carts drawn mostly by oxen and some by mules. The people, animals, and vehicles spread over 2 The first written account definitely pertaining to miles and must have impacted the terrain the area later occupied by the Fort Selden terrifically; Oñate himself noted wagon ruts still Military Reservation comes from Juan de prominent from Morlete’s expedition 7 years Oñate’s settlement expedition into Nuevo earlier (Riley 1999:44–47). México in 1598. Even earlier Coronado’s scouts came to the present-day Mesilla Valley in the Traveling from Santa Bárbara up the Río 1540s, and fray Agustín Rodríguez and Capt. Conchos in Chihuahua, Oñate reached the Río Francisco Sánchez Chamuscado could have Grande on April 20. On April 30 he took formal passed this way in the early 1580s. Juan de possession of Nuevo México for Felipe II and Morlete apparently earlier had traveled parts of Spain (Riley 1999:47). According to Gutiérrez Oñate’s route and is the first Spaniard recorded (1991), Oñate literally played out dramas to 49 Appendix 4: Historical Narrative teach the Indians they encountered “the meaning death. The officer Robledo, a native of of their own defeat, of Spanish sovereignty, and Maqueda, near Madrid and Toledo, Spain, was of the social hierarchies that would prevail under accompanied by his wife Catalina López, his Christian rule” (Gutiérrez 1991:47). Oñate had a daughters, and 5 sons (Riley 1999:47; Jaskolski chapel constructed on April 30, where the 2000:199, 200). The campground or paraje Spanish celebrated Solemn High Mass, and the where he was buried became known as La Cruz soldiers then enacted the arrival of and greeting de Robledo because of the cross marking his by Hernán Cortés of 12 Franciscans in Mexico grave. The name later was shortened to Paraje City in 1524. Oñate presented himself as Cortés, Robledo or simply Robledo. Another knelt before and kissed the hands and hems of campground 1 league to the south was called the friars, and ordered the Indian caciques to do variously Robledo el Chico, Robledito, or the same. After the drama Oñate again fell to his Robledillo. Robledo would become the Camino knees and prayed for the conversion of the Real’s south entrance to the Jornada del Muerto Indians as well as peaceful occupation of Nuevo (Julyan 1996:301). México. The soldiers fired harquebuses, and Oñate erected a cross (Gutiérrez 1991:48–49). On May 22 Oñate, 2 Franciscan friars, and about 60 men moved ahead of the expedition to Oñate named the site of their Río Grande contact the nearest Piro town on the Río Grande. crossing “el paso del río del norte” (Timmons The expedition finally reached the north end of 1990:14). While the Spaniards still were camped the Jornada del Muerto on May 27. Oñate on the river before crossing on May 4, 40 eventually would select a region 250 miles to the Indians entered their camp. Oñate called them north at the mouth of the Chama River for “mansos,” which sounded like their first settlement, and in August his settlers began to utterances to him (Riley 1999:55). Alonso de move into some house blocks of the Tewa Benavides 32 years later said the name manso pueblo of Okeh (Riley 1999:47–49, 75). derived from a Spanish word meaning “tame” or “peaceable” (Hickerson 1994:87). Oñate Manso Indians described these Indians as having “long hair cut Beckett and Corbett estimate the Manso to resemble little Milan caps, headgear made to occupied an area stretching from south of El hold down the hair and colored with blood or Paso, Texas, to as far north as Hatch, New paint.” They carried Turkish bows and made the Mexico (Hammond and Rey 1953:661 in sign of the cross with their thumbs. Oñate Beckett and Corbett 1992:2), placing the Fort clothed the Indians and presented them with Selden site well within their territory. Mansos other gifts, and the Mansos in turn helped the presumably lived in the Organ Mountains, which Spaniards cross their sheep to the Río Grande’s became known as the Sierra de los Mansos north side (Riley 1999:55). (Rivera 1945:69 and Kinnaird 1958:84 in Sent ahead of the main expedition to scout the Beckett and Corbett 1992:2). By 1667 a Piro area, Capt. Pablo de Aguilar Inojosa in mid- ranchería was as far west as the Florida May, against Oñate’s orders, entered the first Mountains near Deming (Forbes 1959:118 in Piro village he encountered. Oñate so wanted the Beckett and Corbett 1992:2). The Jano and expedition to proceed in secrecy, because Jocome, relatives of the Manso, lived to their Indians had fled with their food supplies from west and southwest; the Suma lived to the south; previous expeditions into Nuevo México, that he and the Piro lived along the Río Grande in the almost had Aguilar executed (Riley 1999:47). area of present-day Socorro and San Marcial. Apaches, relative newcomers, lived in adjacent On May 13 the main expedition reached the areas (Benavides 1945:12–17 in Beckett and Organ Mountains, which Oñate called the Corbett 1992:2). “Sierra del Olvido.” A child died on May 17, and on May 21, one day after Aguilar returned from Hickerson identifies the Manso with the his unfortunate scout, 60-year-old Pedro Tanpachoas, encountered by Antonio de Espejo Robledo died and was buried at his place of in 1582 in marshy areas near El Paso del Norte 50 Appendix 4: Historical Narrative (Hickerson 1994:38). Luxán describes the Several Manso rancherías are known in southern Tanpachoas as being Nuevo México in 1691. The Mission of San Francisco de los Mansos, occupied from 1691 to of the same blood and type as the 1693, and its associated ranchería were near La Otomoacos, and of the same dress, Unión. Other rancherías were near Doña Ana except that the men tie their privy parts and present-day Las Cruces and in the Florida with a small ribbon. Mountains (Beckett and Corbett 1992:12, 46). In Their mode of fighting is with Turkish 1692 don Diego de Vargas referred to an bows and arrows, and bludgeons as abandoned ranchería at Doña Ana (Espinosa much as half a yard in length, made of 1942:110 in Beckett and Corbett 1992:2). tornilla wood, which is very strong and Because of the bad road, Vargas’s wagons and flexible. We all made stocks for our crews spent the night of October 18, 1692, at harquebuses from this tornillo wood Yerba del Manso, located by Kessell and others because it was very suitable for the 10 km south of Robledo and described by Vargas purpose [Luxan in Hammond and Rey as “a league and a half from the outpost of 1966:169, quoted in Hickerson Robledito” (Vargas 1995:388).