After remaining four days in this province, not far off they came to another called the province of Tiguas (Tiguex), containing sixteen towns, in one of which the two friars, Lopez and Ruyz, had been slain. Hence the inhabitants fled. The Spaniards, entering the town, found plenty of food, hens, and rich metals. Here they heard of many rich towns far towards the east. Two days' journey from the province of Tiguas they found another province containing eleven towns and about forty thousand persons. The country was fertile, and bordered on Cevola, where was abundance of kine. Here were signs of "very rich mines." Having returned to Tiguex, they ascended the Rio del Norte six leagues to another province called Los Quires. Here they found five towns, and fourteen thousand persons who worshipped idols. Among the curious things seen at this place were a pig in a cage, and "canopies like those brought from China," upon which were painted the sun, moon, and stars. The height of the pole-star led them to believe themselves in north latitude 37J°.
Pursuing the same northerly course, fourteen leagues thence they found another province, called the Cumanes (or Punames), with five towns, of which Cia (Zia) was greatest, having twenty thousand persons, eight market-places, and houses plastered and painted in divers colours. The inhabitants presented them with mantles curiously wrought, and showed rich metals, and mountains near which were the mines. Having travelled six leagues north-west, they came to Ameies, "where are seven great towns and thirty thousand souls." One of the towns was said to be very great and fair; but as it stood behind a mountain, they feared to approach it. Fifteen leagues west they found a great town, called A coma, containing about six thousand persons, and situated upon a high rock, which was above fifty paces high, having no entrance except by stairs hewed into the rock. The water of this town was kept in cisterns. Their corn-fields, two leagues distant, were watered from a small river, upon the banks of which were roses. Many mountains in this vicinity showed signs of metals; but they went not to see them.
Twenty-four leagues westward from Acoma they arrived at Zurii, by the Spaniards called Cibola, containing great numbers of Indians. Here were three Christian Indians, left by Coronado in 1540. They informed Espejo that "threescore days' journey from this place there was a mighty lake, upon the banks whereof stood many great and good towns, and that the inhabitants of the same had plenty of gold, as shown by their wearing golden bracelets and ear-rings" They said that Coro-nado had intended to go there, but having travelled twelve days' journey he began to want water, and returned. Espejo, desirous of seeing this rich country, departed from Cibola, and having travelled twenty-eight leagues west, found another great province, of about fifty thousand souls.
As they approached a town called Zaguato, the multitude, with their caciques, met them with great joy, and poured maize upon the ground for the horses to walk upon, and they presented the captain with forty thousand mantles of cotton, white and coloured, and many hard towels with tassels at the four corners, and rich metals which seemed to contain much silver. Thence travelling due west forty-five leagues, they found mines, of which they had been informed, and took out with their own hands rich metals containing silver. The mines, which were on a broad vein, were in a mountain f easily ascended by an open way to the same. In the vicinity of the mines there were numerous Indian pueblos. "Hereabout they found two rivers of a reasonable bigness, upon the banks whereof grew many vines bearing excellent grapes, and great groves of walnut-trees, and much flax like that of Castile."
Captain Espejo then returned to Zuni. Thence he determined to ascend still higher up Eio del Norte. Having travelled sixty leagues towards the province of Quires, twelve leagues further east they found a province of Indians called Hubates, containing twenty-five thousand people well dressed in coloured mantles of cotton and hides. They had many mountains full of pines and cedars; and the houses of their towns were four or five stories high. Here they had notice of another province, distant one day's journey thence, inhabited by Indians called Tamos (Toas), and containing forty thousand souls. But this people having refused admittance to their towns, the Spaniards returned, and, following 120 leagues down a river called Rio de las Vacas (Eio Pecos), united again with the Eio del Norte, and went homeward in July 1583. In conclusion, the author adds : -- a Almighty God vouchsafe His assistance in this business, that such numbers of souls redeemed by His blood may not utterly perish; of whose good capacity, wherein they exceed those of Mexico and Peru, we may boldly assert that they will embrace the Gospel and abandon such idolatry as now the most of them do live in."
If this account of Antonio de Espejo be a tolerably accurate chronicle of facts, the Rio Grande valley must have been very well peopled. He describes no less than sixteen provinces or kingdoms, and mentions others from hearsay; and if his estimates of population at all approach the truth, there were far more people in that one valley in the sixteenth century than there are now in the whole of New Mexico and Arizona united, including both Mexicans and Americans.
Although the Pueblo Indians seem to have been unacquainted with the working of metals, yet we hear reports of gold and silver being discovered after this time (1582) in many parts of the very country which was reported by its discoverers to be utterly unworthy of colonization. It would, however, be giving the subject more attention than is here desirable were I to quote further from Spanish sources, especially as I think the chief object has been already gained, namely, of proving that the towns now in ruins were thickly inhabited when the first Europeans entered the country.
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adapted from A. W. Bell
"On the Native Races of New Mexico"
1869 (Journal of the Ethnological Society of London)
