26 THE ACOMA INDIANS [eth. asn. 47 



purposes . . ."' And "In our honor they performed a very cere- 

 monious mitote and dance, the people coming out in fine array. 

 They performed many juggUng feats, some of them very clever, with 

 live snakes.'"* 



On the 27th of October, 1598, Don Juan de Onate visited Acoma 

 and received the obediencia of the pueblo. It is said that some of 

 the Acoma chiefs tried to lure Oiiate into an estufa to see something 

 "very curious"; once inside, they planned to kill him. But Onate 

 declined to enter. He left the pueblo in safety and continued his 

 journey westward.^ 



Capt. Caspar de Villagrti, the poet warrior to whom we are indebted 

 for many graphic accounts of these days, reached Acoma shortly 

 after Onate's departure. He was alone, having only his horse and 

 his dog for companions. He was received by Zutucapan, an Acoma 

 chief, who tried to resist Onate. So unfriendly did this chief seem, 

 Villagra refused to dismount. Instead, he hurried on to join Onate. 

 His account of his escape is dramatic and at points ludicrous. He 

 states that his horse fell into a pit which the Indians had dug for 

 this purpose and had covered over with brush. Leaving his horse 

 dead in the pit (in another connection he mentions still having his 

 noble charger some time after this adventure), he went on afoot. 

 There was snow on the ground, so he reversed his boots to deceive 

 his pursuers (!). He suffered greatly from hunger and finally decided 

 to eat his dog. But "as the faithful animal with the life torrent 

 pouring from his side turned to lick the hand of his slayer, Villagni 

 had no heart to eat the food obtained at such a cost."'° 



Late in September (1598) Don Juan Zaldivar, the maestro de 

 campo of Onate, arrived at Acoma with 20 or 30 men. Leaving a 

 few men at the foot of the mesa to guard the horses, Zaldivar and his 

 men went up to the village. Here they were received in friendly 

 fashion by the natives. But while the Spaniards were wandering 

 about the pueblo, scattered here and there, the Acomas suddenly 

 fell upon them with furious yells and war clubs. Zaldivar himself 

 was struck down by Zutucapan, the wily chief. Five soldiers ran to 

 the edge of the mesa and jumped over the cliff; one man was killed 

 in the fall, but the others alighted without injury. Ml the rest were 

 killed. The four survivors joined the men with the horses and 

 escaped, joining Onate." 



■ Bolton, n. E,, Spanish Exploration in the Southwest, pp. 182-1S3. Bandelier attempted to identify 

 these fields as those in the Acomita Valley, 12 miles north of Acoma. "The distance indicated by him 

 (Espejo), 2 leagues, does not agree; but since he adds ' on a middle-sized river ..." I infer that their fields 

 were on some point along the course of the Blue-water." Final Report, pt. n, pp. 315-316. 



^ Bolton, loc. cit. 



1 Bancroft, Arizona and New Mexico, pp. 138-139. 



'0 Bancroft, op. cit.. p. 140. 



n We are indebted to Villagra for the account of this episode. While we need not accept each detail as 

 assured fact, the central fact is true. Zaldfvar and many of his men were killed at Acoma at this time. 

 .See BiiDcrolt, Arizona and .N'ew .Mexico, pp. 142-143. 



