Show FF the southwest turns back its clock four centuries to honor the exploits of coronado spanish conquistador conquistadors Conquist adore by E ELMO SCOTT WATSON Me released Ile loMed leased by western newspaper union N THIS year of invasions IN of peace loving countries of blitzkriegs blitz kriegs and conquests q it is somewhat ironical that one see section tion of the united states the only major power n not ot yet directly involved in the second world war should be celebrating with pageants and other ceremonies the invasion of american soil by armed forces from europe true that invasion took place years ago two and a half centuries before there was a united states and the country which these european invaders set out to conquer was waa occupied by nomadic tribes of savages who were far from being a peace loving people it is also somewhat ironical that tho the leader of the invaders who Is being honored this year as a grent great explorer was regarded a as s a failure by tho the powers who sent him forth ile ho was francisco vasquez do de coronado and tho the 1940 coronado cuarto centen nial celebration in arizona and now new mexico recalls tho the beginning in 1540 of his epic journey through the great southwest the events which it memorial izes began 44 years after colum bus discovered the new world in 1530 cabeza do vaca and thres three companions who had followed narvaez on his voyage of exploration to florida began their long weary journey from what Is now louisiana back to mexico city they were tho the only survivors of more than 60 adventurers who had penetrated for far into what la is now the united states in search of gold from the indians they heard tales of great cities to the north where tho the houses were studded with gold their imagination fired by these yarns they eagerly repeated the stories when they finally reached mexico city in 1539 tho the spanish viceroy in mexico sent friar marcos do niza to check on tho the reports which de vaca had heard his gulde guide was the negro estevan who had been with de vaca through tigh all his wanderings and M stevan estevan who pushed on ahead of ie do niza sent back glowing reports of the great cities which lay ahead and their treasures friar marcos pushed on to see for himself these great cities from a hilltop in what is now new mexico he looked down upon adobe walled cities gleaming in the sunlight and his imagination soon oon transformed these into the reality of tho the legendary golden seven cities of cibola without bothering to investigate further the friar hastened back to mexico and his story stirred the gold lust of the spaniards anew several of the leaders in now spain fought for the honor of leading an expedition to conquer this new territory and recover tho treasures of the seven cities of cibola but francisco vasquez di ds co coronado 0 was finally anally chosen as the lucky com commander for the venture spanish arms had completed the conquest of mexico and the flower of spanish chivalry rallied to coronados Coron ados banners on february 23 1540 his army composed P ased of horsemen most of them members member s of the nobility foot soldiers and a nd 1000 indians grooms and servants of the spanish cavalier cavaliere cava liers moved out of corn com to march north they were accompanied by great herds of cattle sheep goats and pigs for food and their camp supplies M munitions unit ions and other provisions were loaded on the backs ot of a thousand horses and mules in their pack trains coronados Coron ados expedition entered what ie ia now the united states at the southern end of the hua chuca mountains in the region of montezuma pass and yaqui sl cpr r gs in arizona but his huge force with its pack trains and herds of animals proved cumbersome and delayed the explorers march unduly so with a force of picked troops coronado moved oti on ahead north and cast into what is now now new mexico the spanish leader soon learned that ho he was doomed d to disappointment for instead of finding the of cibola with their golden streets and their jewel studded houses he found only the seven villages of the zuni indians in western new aci mexico while they were imposing in size with great houses rising five stories high and built of adobe stone and wood there was no gold whatsoever in them pushing eastward coronado came to the largest city in what was to become the united states it was the pueblo of pecos which ha hail 1 I warriors who boasted that thuy thesy had never been defeated but awed by the glitter and P k nl q doti diego de vargas played by an actor in the santa fe sta kneels in the plaza of ancient santa fe to give thanks for the of now mexico santa ve railway photo mystery of tho the spanish arms the warriors of pecos pacos decided not to try to resist the invaders instead they welcomed coronado into their town with drums and pipes of peace and gifts of turquoise and native woven cloth dut but again there was no gold or other treasure to reward the white men for their long journey later the indians of pecos began to regret their hospitality to the strangers so one of them nicknamed the turk was persuaded to lure these gold hungry white men away to the northeast by promising to show them the gran Qu ivera a city of silver and gold on to gran Qu ivera instead of starting directly for tho the gran Qu ivera coronado seems to havo have marched arched ii south and eastward to investigate other indian pueblos ile ho next turned east cast and pushed on into what is now tho the states of texas where he marched for weeks over arid deserts and trackless prairies constantly harassed by hostile indians who were more dangerous foemen flemen than the peaceful inhabitants of the pueblos after circling around in the staked plain region of tho the future lone star state he turned north to seek the gran and s vm qa i MR Q ma 1 1 I 1 I 1 g 01 8 11 ll 11 M av N ddn N nl il As night falls alls on an the first day of the santa fe flesta fiesta tho the giant effigy of obra or dull care 11 is b burned as the ellit climax nax of the fireworks display santa fe railway photo near thle the present site of wichita K kan an found not the treasure houses of gold which the turk had promised but a land where the only human habitations wore were skin tepees and grass lodges it Is believed that coronado got as tar far east cast as the palo duro canyon in the texas panhandle and during his wanderings he was the first white man to cross such rivers as the canadian the red the cimarron and the arkansas disappointed again in his search for cities of gold coronado started back toward mexico ills his return journey took him through southwestern kansas across the panhandle of nf oklahoma thence westward across northern now new mexico to the seven so v cities of cibola the zuni towns again and on westward through northern arizona the first white man to see the wonders of the grand canyon were members of a detachment of cor onador army who gazed in awl awe upon that vast emptiness Ilc ite treat to mexico for two winters coronado made his bead headquarter quarters a at an indian pueblo located near tho the present town of bernalillo Bernall llo N M returning there in the fall of 1541 from his vain quest for tae the gran Qu ivera lie he found his main army disgruntled and homesick for mexico in the spring of 1542 1042 lie ho suffered a severe injury and while lie he was on his sickbed his captains signed a petition to return to mexico they finally obtained his fils reluctant consent and soon afterwards the indomitable leader set out on the return jour 1 ney over the route he had traversed with such high hopes two years earlier although coronados Coron ados expedition was in the eyes of his contemporaries por aries arles a 0 sad failure because he had not brought back the gold and other treasure that was expected of him history has written his expedition down as oneff one of the greatest land exploration A of bf all time moreover it gave spain a claim to a vast new territory in the now new world and established in the southwest a civilization many traces of which still survive after the passage of four centuries halt a century after coronados Coron ados expedition another led by don juan onate came into the valley of the rio grando grande and establishing settlements all along the river he set up his first capital at san gabriel six miles north of espanola at the mouth of tho the chama river some time between 1608 1600 and 1610 don pedro do de peralta the third governor of spanish new mexico established the city of santa fe and this ancient city which has been the seat of government of province territory and state under old spain mexico and the united states is the scene of one of the most important events of coronado year although it hns has been observed every year for two centuries it is tho the santa fe fiesta one of the oldest continuously observed celebrations held in the united states it commemorates the in 1692 by do don n diego do da vargas of the vast territory which had been lost to the th e spanish authorities in the great pueblo revolt of 1680 held on august ast 31 september I 1 and 2 the first day of the fiesta is given over to gaiety with the populace and visitors in spanish costumes native orchestras playing in the plaza and dancing by the indians from the pueblos near by in the evening there is a picturesque ceremony the burning of a giant effigy of obra or dull care 11 and the crowning of the fiesta queen sunday morning is devoted to time honored services in the ancient cathedral and in the afternoon the colorful pageant of the reentry re entry of de vargas and his armored conquerors into the capital Is held in the plaza that night there is a candlelight candle light procession to the cross of the martyrs overlooking the city on monday the children hold their costume and pet show in the plaza in the afternoon there Is more pageantry through gli the streets of the city and the climax of the hesta flesta comes thul that night with native dances and songs on the balconies of la fonda the leading santa fe hotel dancing in the streets and finally el balle baile de los conquistadores Conquist adorea the ball of the conquerors at la fonda thus for three days santa fe the cap capital I 1 tal of new mexico turns the clock back two and a half centuries just as the whole southwest has been turning its thoughts back all this coronado year to the days of that thai great explorer and his mallad mal mail lad conquistadores conquist adorea |