STEVENSON. 



CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. 11 



The Mexican town of San Ysidro is 5i miles above Sia, and there are 

 several Mexican settlements north of Jemez. Tlie Mexican town of 

 Bernalillo is on the east bank of the Rio Grande, 17^ miles eastward. 



Though Protestant missionaries have been stationed at the pueblo of 

 Jemez since 187S, no attempt has been made to bring the Sia within 

 the pale of Protestantism. The Catholic mission priest who resides at 

 Jemez makes periodical visits to the Sia, when services are held, mar- 

 riages performed, infants baptized, and prayers oifered for the dead. 



The missions at Cia and Jemez were founded previous to 1617 and after 1605. 

 They existed -ivithout interruption until about 16i?2, when the Navajos compelled the 

 abandonment of the two churches at San Diego and .San Joseph of Jemez. About 

 four years later, through the exertions of Fray Martin de Arvide, these missions 

 were reoccupied, aud remained in uninterrupted operation until August 10, 1680. 

 The mission at Cia, as far as I know, suffered no great calamity until that date. 

 After the uprising of 1680 the Cia mission remained vacant until 1694. Thence on it 

 has been always maintained, slight temporary vacancies excepted, up to this day. 

 The mi.ssion of San Diego de Jemez was occupied in 1694 by Fray Francisco de Jesus, 

 whom the Indians murdered on the 4th of June of 1696. In consequence of the up- 

 rising on that day, the Jemez abandoned their country, and returned, settling on the 

 present site of their pueblo only in 1700. The first resident priest at Jemez became 

 Fray Diego Chabarria, in 1701. Since that date I find no further interruption in the 

 list of missionaries.' 



The Sia are regarded with contempt by the Santa Ana and the Jemez 

 Indians, who never omit an opportunity to give expression to their 

 scorn, feeling assured that this handful of people must submit to insult 

 without hope of redress. Limited intertribal relations exist, and these 

 principally for the purpose of trafiic. 



Though the Sia have considerable irrigable lands, they have but a 

 meager supply of water, this being due to the fact that after the Mex- 

 ican towns above them and the pueblo of Jemez have drawn upon the 

 waters of the Jcniez river, little is left for the Sia, and in order to have 

 any success with their crops they must curtail the area to be culti- 

 vated. Thus they never raise grain enough to supply their need.s, 

 even with the practice of the strictest economy according to Indian 

 uuderstanding, and therefore depend upon their more successful neigh- 

 bors who labor under no such difficulties. The Jemez people have 

 no lack of water supply, and the Santa Ana have their farming districts 

 on the l)anks of the liio Grande. Is it strange, then, that two pueblos 

 are found progressing, however slowly, toward a European civilization, 

 while the Sia, though slightly influenced by the Mexicans, have, through 

 their environment, been led not only to cling to autochthonic culture 

 but to lower their plane of social and mental condition ? 



The Sia women labor industriously at the ceramic art as soon as 

 their grain supply becomes reduced, and the men carry the wares to 

 their unfriendly neighbors for trade in exchange for wheat and corn. 

 While the Santa Ana and Jemez make a little pottery, it is very coarse 

 iu texture and in form; in fact, they can not be classed as pottery- 

 making Indians. (PI. in.) 



'The writer ia indebted to Mr. A. F. liiindelier for the information regarding the Catholic luiaaions. 



