Show The Southwest Turns Back Its Clock Four Centuries to Honor the Exploits Of Coronado Spanish I By ELMO SCOTT WATSON Released by Western Newspaper Union N THIS TIllS year of invasions I IN of peace loving countries of blitzkriegs and conquests conquests con cone quests it is somewhat ironical that one section of the United States the only major power not yet directly involved in inthe inthe inthe the second World war should be celebrating with pageants and other ceremonies the invasion invasion invasion in in- of American soil by armed forces from Europe True that invasion took place years ago two ago two and a half centuries before there was a United States States and and the country country country coun coun- try which these European invaders invaders invaders in in- set out to conquer was occupied by nomadic tribes of savages who were far from being a peace-loving peace people It is also somewhat ironical that the leader of the invaders who is being honored this year as asa asa asa a great explorer was regarded as a failure by the powers who sent him forth He lie was Francisco Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco Vasquez de Coronado and the 1940 Coronado Cuarto-Centen- Cuarto nial celebration in Arizona and New Mexico recalls the beginning beginning beginning begin begin- ning in 1540 of his epic Journey through the Great Southwest The events which it memorializes memorial memorial- izes began 44 years after Columbus Columbus Columbus Colum Colum- bus discovered the New World In 1536 Cabeza de Vaca and three companions who had followed Narvaez on his voyage of exploration tion to Florida began their long weary Journey from what is now Louisiana back to Mexico City They were the only survivors of more than 60 CO adventurers who had penetrated far into what Isnow is isnow isnow now the United States in search of gold From the Indians the they heard tales of ot great cities to the north where the houses were studded with gold Their Imagination imagination imagination nation fired by these yarns they eagerly repeated the stories when they finally reached Mexico City In 1539 1530 the Spanish viceroy in Mexico sent Friar Marcos de deNiza deNiza Niza to check on the reports which De Vaca had heard Ills His guide was the Negro Estevan who had been with De Vaca through all his wanderings and Estevan who pushed on ahead of De Niza sent back glowing reports reports reports re re- ports 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 walled adobe-walled cities gleaming in inthe inthe inthe the sunlight and his imagination soon transformed these into the I reality of the legendary golden Seven Cities of Cibola Without I bothering to investigate further the friar hastened back to Mexico Mexa Mexico Mex Mex- ico and his story stirred the gold goldlust goldlust goldlust II lust of the Spaniards anew Several Sev- Sev Sey- Sey a P- P ri eral of ut the leaders leaders- in New I fought for the honor of leading an expedition to conquer this new i I territory and recover the treasures treas treas- ures of the Seven Cities of Cibola II but Francisco Vasquez de Coronado CoroI Coronado Coro Coro- nado was finally chosen as the I lucky commander for the ven ven- ture lure t j Spanish arms had completed J the conquest of Mexico and the 4 1 flower of Spanish chivalry rallied 1 to Coronados Coronado's banners On February Feb 23 1540 his army composed com come posed ot of horsemen most of them members of the nobility I foot loot soldiers and 1000 Indians- Indians 1 grooms and servants of the SpanIsh Spanish Span Span- ish cavaliers moved cavaliers moved out of Compostela Com Com- j 4 to march north They i by great herds j 4 of cattle sheep goats and pigs 1 for food and their camp supplies j munitions and other provisions J were loaded on the backs of a aj 1 j thousand horses and mules in I j their pack trains Coronados Coronado's expedition entered 1 what is now the United States at the southern end of the Huachuca Hua- Hua 1 chuca mountains in the region of ot Montezuma pass and Yaqui J springs in Arizona Dut But his huge l force with its pack trains and herds of animals proved cumbersome cumber cumber- r j some and delayed the explorers explorer's march unduly so with a force of ri picked troops Coronado moved on J. J ahead north and east into what li 1 is now New Mexico The Spanish leader soon learned that he was doomed to disappointment For instead of ol finding the Seven Cities of Cibola with their golden streets and their studded Jewel-studded houses he found only the seven villages o of 1 the Zuni Indians in western New 4 Mexico While they were imposing impose ing lag in size aize with great houses risIng rising ris rise d ing five stories high and built o of adobe stone and wood there was wasI j I no gold whatsoever in them Pushing eastward Coronado came to the largest city in what wha was to become the United States r It U was the pueblo of Pecos which had warriors who boasted that they had never been defeat defeat- w 4 ed t 1 But Dut awed by the glitter and andt andi j t i s c r re f e I 9 e tF N s s 1 g gr r r. r 01 tr 4 1 I I IDon Don Diego de Vargas played by an actor in the Santa Fe Fiesta kneels In the Plaza of ancient Santa Fe Ie to give thanks for the recon recon- of New Mexico Santa Fe Ie railway photo mystery of the Spanish arms the warriors of Pecos decided not to tory try ry to resist the invaders Instead Instead In- In stead lead they welcomed Coronado Into nto their town with drums and aid pipes ipes of peace and gifts gilts of turquoise turquoise tur- tur and native woven native woven cloth Jut But again there was no gold or orther other ther treasure to reward the white men for their long Journey Later ater the Indians of Pecos began begano to o regret their hospitality to the strangers so one of them nicknamed nicknamed nicknamed nick nick- named the Turk was persuaded to o lure these hungry gold gold white men away to the northeast by promising to show them the Gran a city of silver and gold On to Gran Instead of starting directly for forthe forthe the he Gran Coronado seems to have marched south and eastward to investigate other Indian Indian In- In dian ilan pueblos He lie next turned east and pushed on into what is isnow isnow isnow now the state of Texas where he marched for weeks over arid deserts deserts des des- erts and trackless prairies constantly constantly con- con harassed by hostile Indians Indians Indi- Indi ans ins who were more dangerous foemen than the peaceful inhabitants inhabitants tants ants of the pueblos After circling around in the Staked Plain region of the future Lone one Star state he turned north to o seek the Gran and r j i Ili T y 3 r As night falls on the first day of the Santa Fe fiesta the giant effigy of or Dull Care Is burned as the climax of the fireworks display Santa Fe railway rail wa way y p hoto uw 1 wa y p uw near the present site site- of Wichita Kan found not found not the treasure houses of gold which the Turk had promised but a land where the only human habitations were skin tepees and grass lodges It ItIs Itis Itis is believed that Coronado got as asfar asfar asfar far east as the Palo Duro canyon in the Texas Panhandle and during during during dur dur- ing his wanderings he was the first white man to cross such rivers as the Canadian the Red fled the Cimarron and the Arkansas Disappointed again in his search for cities of gold Coronado Coronado Coro Core nado started back toward Mex Mex- ico His Ills return Journey took him through southwestern Kansas across the panhandle of Oklahoma Oklahoma Okla homa thence westward across northern New Mexico to the Seven Seven Seven Sev Sev- en Cities of Cibola the Zuni Zun Zuni towns again and on westward through northern Arizona The first white man to see the wonders wonders won won- ders dens of the Grand canyon were members of a detachment o of Coronado's Coronados Coronados Coronado's Cor Con army who gazed in awe upon that vast emptiness Retreat to Mexico For two winters Coronado made his headquarters at an Indian pueblo located near the present town of Bernalillo N N. N M. M Returning there in the fall faU of 1541 from rom his vain quest for Cor the Gran he found his main army disgruntled and homesick for Mexico In the spring of 1542 he suITe suffered red to ta a severe injury and while he was on his sickbed his captains signed a petition to return return re- re turn urn to Mexico They finally obtained obtained ob- ob his reluctant consent and soon oon afterwards the indomitable leader eader set out on the return journey jour jour- ney ey over the route he had traversed traversed traversed tra tra- tra- tra versed with such high hopes two years earlier Although Coronados Coronado's expedition was In the eyes of his contemporaries a sad failure because he had lad not brought back the gold and other treasure that was expected expected ex- ex of him history has written writ writ- ten en his expedition down as one of the he greatest land explorations of all time Moreover it gave Spain a i claim to a vast new territory in n the New World and established in n the Southwest a civilization many traces of which still survive survive survive sur sur- vive after the passage of four centuries Half a n century after Coronados Coronado's expedition another led by Don DonJuan DonJuan I Juan uan Onate came into the valley of the Rio Grande and establishing establish establish- establishing ing ng settlements all along the river iver he set up his first capital at San Gabriel six miles north of f Espanola at the mouth of the Chama hama river Some time between between be- be tween 1606 and 1610 Don Pedro de le Peralta the third governor of h Nsw New Mexico est e established the he city of Santa Fe and this ancient ancient ancient an an- 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 Coronado Coronado Coro 1 nado year although it has been i observed every year for two cen- cen urics It is the Santa Fe Fiesta one of the oldest continuously observed observed observed ob ob- ob- ob served celebrations held in the United States It commemorates the he in 1692 by Don DonDiego DonDiego DonDiego Diego de Vargas of the vast territory territory territory ter ter- ter- ter which had been lost to the Spanish authorities in the great Pueblo revolt of 1680 Held on on August 31 September 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 of or Dull Care and the crowning of the fiesta queen Sunday morning is devoted to time-honored time services in the ancient ancient ancient an an- cathedral and in the afternoon after noon the colorful pageant of the I re-entry re of De Vargas and his armored conquerors into the capital capital capital cap cap- ital is held in inthe the Plaza That night there is a light candle procession procession pro pro- cession to the Cross of the Martyrs Martyrs Mar Mar- overlooking the city On Monday the children hold their costume and pet show in the Plaza in the afternoon there ismore is ismore ismore more pageantry through the streets of the city and the climax of the fiesta comes that night with native dances and songs on the balconies of La Fonda the leading lead ing Santa Fe hotel dancing Inthe in inthe inthe the streets and finally El EI Baile Balle de deLos deLos deLos Los Conquistadores the Ball Dall o of the Conquerors at La Fonda Thus for three days Santa Fe the capital of New Mexico turns the clock back two and a half centuries cen tunes just as taj tta whole Southwest has been turning its thoughts back all this Coronado year to the days of that great explorer and his mail clad conquistadores |