| Show the southwest turns back its clock four centuries to honor the exploits of coronado spanish conquistadors Conquist adore by ELMO SCOTT WATSON released by western newspaper union N THIS year of invasions IN of peace loving countries of blitzkriegs blitz kriegs and conquests it is somewhat ironical that one section of the united states the only major power not 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 arid and a half centuries before there was a united states and the country which these european invaders set out to conquer was occupied by norna nomadic dic tribe of savages who were far from being a peace loving people it is also somewhat ironical that the leader of the invaders who is being honored this year as a great explorer was regarded as a failure by the powers who sen sent t him forth he was francisco vasquez de coronado and the 1940 coronado cuarto centen cente n nial celebration in arizona and new mexico recalls the beginning in 1540 OH of his epic journey through the great southwest the events which it memorial izes began 44 years after columbus discovered the new mew world in I 1 1536 cabeza de vaca and three companions who had followed narvaez ian on his voyage of exploration 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 adventurers who had penetrated far into what is now the united states in search of gold from the indians they heard tales of great cities to the north where 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 the spanish viceroy in mexico sent friar marcos de niza to check on the reports which de vaca had U heard his guide was the negro este estevan an who had been with de vaca through all his wanderings and estevan who pushed on ahead of de niza niia sent back glowing reports of the great cities which lay jay 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 waned walled cities gleaming in the sunlight and his imagination soon transformed these into the reality of 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 iri in new spain fought for the honor of leading an expedition to conquer this new territory and recover the treasures of the seven cities of cibola but francisco vasquez de coronado was finally chosen as the lucky commander for the v venture n spanish arms had completed the conquest of mexico and the flower of spanish chivalry rallied t to 0 coronados Coron ados banners on february 23 1540 his army composed of horsemen most of them members of the nobility foot soldiers and 1000 indians grooms and servants of the spanish caval cavallars cavaliers cava liers lers moved out of corn com costela to march north they were accompanied by great herds of cattle sheep goats and pigs for food and their c camp amp supplies munitions and other provisions were loaded on the backs of a thousand horses and mules in their pack trains coronados Coron ados expedition entered what is now the united states at the southern end of the hua chuca mountains ains in the region fegion of montezuma pass and yaqui springs 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 on ahead h ad north and east into what is now new mexico the spanish leader soon learned that he was doomed to disappointment for instead of findig finding ig the seven cities of cibola with their golden streets and their jewel studded houses he found only the seven villages of af the zuni indians in western new mexico while they were imposing in ha size with great houses rising fl five ve 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 ivas to become the U united states it was the pueblo of pecos which had warriors who boasted that they had never been defeated but awed by the glitter and 0 1157 4 4 41 don diego de vargas played by an actor in the santa fe fiesta kneels eels in the plaza of ancient santa fe to give thanks for the recon quivering qui ering of new mexico santa fe railway photo mystery odthe of the spanish arms the warriors of pecos 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 but again there was no gold or other treasure to reward the white men for their long journey later the india indians ns of pecos began to regret their hospitality hospitably 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 bogran Qu ivera instead of starting directly for the gran Qu ivera coronado seems to have bave marched south and easaw eastward ard to investigate other indian pueblos he next turned east and pushed on into what is now the state 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 the future lone star state he turne turned d north to seek the gran and i V YA V I 1 kl 4 As night falls on the first day of the santa fe fiesta the giant effigy of obra bra or dull care is burned as the climax of the fireworks display santa fe railway photo near the present site of wichita kan 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 is believed that coronado got as far east 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 mex ico his return journey took him through southwestern kansas across the panhandle of okla homa thence westward a cross across northern new mexico to the seven 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 bf a detachment of cor onador army who gazed arf 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 M returning there in the fall ot of 1541 from his vain quest for the gran Qu ivera he found his main army disgruntled and homesick for mexico in the spring ot of 1542 hii he suffered a severe injury and and while he was on his sickbed his captains signed a petition to return to mexico they finally obtained his reluctant consent and soon afterwards the indomitable I 1 leader set out on the return journey 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 a sad failure because lie he had not brought back the gold and other treasure that was e expected of him history has written his expedition down as one of the greatest land explorations of all time moreover it gave spain a claim to a vast new territory in the new world and established in the southwest a civilization many traces of which still survive after the passage of four centuries half a century after coronados Coron ados expedition another led by don juan onate came into the valley of the rio grande and establishing settlements au all along the river he set up his first capital at san gabriel six miles north of espanola at the mouth of the chama river some time between 1606 and 1610 don pedro de da 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 has been observed every year for two centuries I 1 it is the santa fe fd fiesta one of the oldest continuously observed celebrations held in the united states it commemorates the in 1692 by don diego de vargas odthe of the vast territory which had been lost to the spanish authorities in the great pueblo revolt of 1680 held on A 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 effigy of obra or dull care 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 re reentry entry of de vargas arld and his armored conquerors in cap ital is held in the plaza that night there is a candle candlelight light procession to the cross of themar 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 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 santa fe hotel dancing in the streets and finally el belle baile de los conquistadores the ball of the conquerors at la fonda thus tor for three days santa fe the capital 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 great explorer and his mail clad conquistadores |
