A Harvest of Reluctant Souls

Fray Alonso de Benavides's History of New Mexico, 1630

Baker H. Morrow

• Publisher: UNM Press
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780826351579
• eBook ISBN: 9780826351586
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

The most thorough account ever written of southwestern life in the early seventeenth century, this engaging book was first published in 1630 as an official report to the king of Spain by Fray Alonso de Benavides, a Portuguese Franciscan who was the third head of the mission churches of New Mexico. In 1625, Father Benavides and his party traveled north from Mexico City to New Mexico, a strange land of frozen rivers, Indian citadels, and mines full of silver and garnets. Benavides and his Franciscan brothers built schools, erected churches, engineered peace treaties, and were said to perform miracles.

Benavides’s riveting exploration narrative provides portraits of the Pueblo Indians, the Apaches, and the Navajos at a time of fundamental change. It also gives us the first full picture of European colonial life in the southern Rockies, the southwestern deserts, and the Great Plains, along with an account of mission architecture and mission life and a unique evocation of faith in the wilderness.

1. The Nations That Live Along the Road to New Mexico

The kingdom and provinces of New Mexico are situated some four hundred leagues to the north of Mexico City, at 37 degrees north latitude. And though that is where the settlements are found, this district actually begins two hundred leagues to the south, in the valley of Santa Bárbara,1 the last settlement of New Spain. The Río Conchos divides this more southerly area from the north; its name comes from the Concha tribe, who live along it.

From there, we go off in search of the Río del Norte for a hundred leagues, over which a man must travel at great risk. This stretch is inhabited by Tobosos, Tarahumares, Tepoanes, Tomites, Sumas, Hanos, and others, all fierce, barbarous, and indomitable people. As they always go about completely naked, without a house or a sown field to their name, they live on what they can hunt. This is all kinds of animals, some of which are very unsavory.

These Indians move around in their hunting from one range of hills to another, and about this field of action these tribes also carry on their civil wars. They kill each other brutally, their arms being bows and arrows, which are generally used by all the tribes.

Whenever we travel among them, they attack us face-to-face if they see only a few people, and do all the harm they can. Because of this, you cannot travel with fewer than twelve mounted men, all very well armed.

A Pueblo man seated on a traditional Spanish carreta, the principal means of transport in the Southwest for centuries. Behind is a jacal fence. © 1994 The Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque Public Library Collection. Neg. No. 1978.141.001.

And even with a force like that, you must proceed cautiously, setting campfires as evening falls to catch their attention and then moving on silently as far as you can. Even when the Indians see a show of force and a lot of people, they still manage to do some damage to the horses with their night ambushes.

Ever since the discovery of New Mexico, there have been fights with the Indians along this hundred-league passage. Defending ourselves against all the harm they wish to do us, we Spaniards have always emerged victorious through the mercy of Our Lord God. We have attempted wherever possible to convert and pacify these tribes, as much for the good of their souls as to secure the road through their lands. But they are so barbarous that they will not let anyone speak with them. Our Lord will be well served when the time for their conversion arrives, as it has for others before them.

2. The Mansa Nation of the Río del Norte

Having traversed these hundred leagues, we come to the famous Río del Norte,1 which gets this name from carrying its strong currents for so many leagues. You reach this river a hundred leagues before coming to New Mexico, and it is inhabited by a tribe we commonly call the Mansos, or Caps. This is because for some reason they shave the sides of their heads so that it looks as though they are wearing caps.

These same people, having learned from the experience of our dogs biting them on several occasions, greet us with war. When they approach us peacefully and gently, we tell the dogs to lay off, so that they won’t be bitten. They are now used to precluding this situation by getting us to head off the dogs. They say to us, “Lay off, lay off, tame, tame!” And so among us they are commonly known by this name: the Tame people.

These are also a people of no houses—only little huts made of branches. They neither plant fields nor dress themselves with anything in particular, going about naked. The women only cover themselves below with a belt, from which are hung two pieces of deerskin, one in front and one behind. The Mansos are also of the same state of mind as the people I previously mentioned, in that they try to do all the harm that they can. Not being able to do much, they come looking for us peacefully, asking for a little something to eat, as this is always their principal aim. A handful of them can eat up an entire raw beef, leaving nothing of the stomach and intestines, not even cleaning away any of the gore. They don’t flinch at swallowing the meat like dogs, grabbing it with their teeth, cutting it with flint knives, and gulping it down without even chewing.

These Mansos, then, are always in the way of our passage along this river. We continually bump into them. They are used to taking us along to their huts, so that we will feed their wives and children. And they customarily make presents to us of whatever they have, which is usually fish and mice.

They are a well-turned out people, nicely featured and robust. Every time we have asked, they have told me that they would be glad to have clerics among them who could teach and baptize them, and that this was important to them.

In addition to the principal issue, which is the conversion of redeemable souls that are much like our own through the blood of Our Lord, we must also secure the way north across two hundred hard leagues. In order to convert and confine other neighboring tribes, something that needs to be done, three or four clerics could be stationed with perhaps fifteen or twenty soldiers as escorts. This might help to avoid all the problems that have cost Your Majesty so much every time someone undertakes a journey to New Mexico. The resulting security would increase the population of the rich mining camps that are scattered all along this road, as well as that of many superb ranch sites with good water and other parcels of very good land.

There would be a lot of bustling to and fro along this road each year. This sort of commerce has been desirable for some time, but has not been possible as the road is not secure. Often five or six years pass in New Mexico with no word at all from Spain. The general supply shipment made in support of the Franciscan priests and churches that Your Majesty has attended to with such Catholic zeal is in place and well defined. But it must be made punctually every three years. Everyone is now accustomed to five- or six-year intervals, and the royal officials completely forget us. God only knows what price we will pay for asking for this. The Manso tribe is now very much inclined toward conversion. Every time we have spoken of God with these people, they have heard us with great pleasure. They believe that they are going to burn in hell if they are not baptized. So they tell us that they are much pained by the fact that they do not have priests to teach them like the other tribes, who are regularly taught by clerics.

I must tell you what happened to me here. Entering into a little collection of huts of this Manso tribe, I set up a cross about the size of a lance. And I told them, among other things, that it was the sign of God, that we Christians all had crosses with us, and that we had them in the towns and houses where we lived. We appealed to the cross for help with our daily necessities, our sorrows, and our illnesses. And the holy cross did indeed help us.

And the Indians began to have very great faith in the cross, asking it for relief from their ills and touching it. If they had faith, it would cure them. Then those of them approaching the cross on their knees to touch it and kiss it, as they had seen me doing, were something to see. Among others, I saw an Indian woman with a toothache, who with great pleasure opened her mouth with her hands, getting her sore teeth as close as possible to the holy cross.

Another woman with childbirth pains and the same deep faith arrived, placing her belly close to the holy cross. And although I had no interpreter who could ask about the effects of this, I have great faith that Our Divine Majesty can indeed work His marvels in a place like that, confirming the promise of His Holy Word. And as Non est vestrum nosce tempora vel momenta, quae posuit Deus in sua potestate,2 He knows when the appointed hour will come for this nation. I console myself now by simply looking for the form it may take.

3. The Beginning of the Apache Nation

Proceeding, then, 30 leagues to the north of this Manso nation, we come upon the great Apache nation, which in these parts is known as the Apaches del Perrillo.1 One of their puppies discovered a spring—which is now of great importance along this road. Hence the name.

In this country, you’ll travel many long leagues with a lot of effort and no water.

And so the province has been named after the Apaches del Perrillo, of whom I’ll say more when the time comes, as they are the largest tribe in the world. Although they are quite warlike, you can trust them more than the previous Indians. We travel through their lands with much less risk until we arrive again on the banks of the Río del Norte, where the settlements of New Mexico begin in the following order.

4. The Province and Nation of the Piros, Senecú, Socorro, and Sevilleta

Once the traveler arrives in this region, the first settlements begin. The Piro province and tribe, with a large number of pueblos and adobe houses, one and two stories high, with covered terraces facing the plazas, are found here. The well-dressed people, subject to their captains, have a republican government. They are terrific farmers with all kinds of seeds, both theirs and some that we have brought them. They hold great hunts for deer, rabbits, and hares,1 and catch many kinds of fish in the river.

The land of this province is so fertile that everything you plant here produces abundantly—in particular the piñón, which although found all over this land is better here than elsewhere because of the superior climate. And although this is the first province in this kingdom, it was among the last in its conversion.

God was certainly well served that its hour came at last. In the year 1626, as custodian of those missions, I dedicated myself to the conversion of those souls, consecrating their principal pueblo to the Blessed Most Holy Virgin of Socorro.2 And as in that year Our Lord first saw fit to show favor to me, I was fortunate enough to see all the Indians baptized. And today they are very good Christians.

I have founded in this province three churches and friaries: one at the pueblo of Senecú,3 dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua; another at the pueblo of Pilabó, dedicated to the Virgin of Socorro; and another at Sivilleta, dedicated to San Luis Obispo, of my order.

It would be well for Your Majesty to know the background of the founding of the town of Sivilleta.4 The place had been deserted because of war, and other tribes had burned it down. Our Spaniards called the place Sivilleta, and its former inhabitants wandered scattered across the hills. I founded the town anew with these same people. I also gathered together many other locals, and they and the original inhabitants today make up one of the best towns that Your Majesty has in that kingdom.

Each of the three friaries has in its charge other neighboring pueblos, which the padres tend to with great care and spirit. To keep from being tedious, I will not refer here to the many risks, great cold, calamities, and hard labor—not to mention additional particular occurrences—that I have endured.

I leave all this to God, for whom it was undertaken.

5. The Mines of Socorro

Our Lord God has been pleased to show no lack of enthusiasm in regard to the secular well-being of this province, which, of course, Your Majesty supplies with its grea...

Table of contents

• A Harvest of Reluctant Souls
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Letter from Fray Juan de Santander to the King of Spain
• Letter from Fray Alonso de Benavides to the King of Spain
• 1. The Nations That Live Along the Road to New Mexico
• 2. The Mansa Nation of the Río del Norte
• 3. The Beginning of the Apache Nation
• 4. The Province and Nation of the Piros, Senecú, Socorro, and Sevilleta
• 5. The Mines of Socorro
• 6. The Tiwa Nation
• 7. The Queres Nation
• 8. The Tompiro Nation
• 9. The Tano Nation1
• 10. The Pecos Nation
• 11. The Villa of Santa Fé
• 12. The Tewa Nation
• 13. The Jémez Nation
• 14. The Picurís Nation
• 15. The Taos Nation
• 16. The Great Rock of Acoma
• 17. The Zuni Nation
• 18. The Moqui (Hopi) Nation
• 19. The Rites of These Heathens
• 20. How Well They Take to Christian Practices
• 21. What That Kingdom Owes to Your Majesty
• 22. The Fertility of the Land
• 23. Fish
• 24. Game
• 25. The Rigorous Climate
• 26. The Great Apache Nation
• 27. The Beginning of the Conversion of the Apaches
• 28. The Conversion of the Gila Apaches, and the Notable Hieroglyphic of an Apache Captain
• 29. The Conversion of the Apaches de Navajó
• 30. The Vaquero Apaches of the Buffalo Herd
• 31. The Miraculous Conversion of the Humana Nation
• 32. The Kingdom of Quivira and Aixaos
• 33. The Holy Tasks with Which the Friars Keep Themselves Busy
• 34. The South Coast
• 35. The Valley of Sonora (Señora)
• 36. Agastán
• 37. Sibola (Cíbola)
• 38. Tiguex (Tihues)
• 39. A City
• 40. Marvelous Great Rock
• 41. Tuzayán
• 42. Cicuyo (Cicuye or Pecos)
• 43. Quivira
• Postscript
• Notes
• For Further Reading
• Index