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Ex. Doc. No. 41. 489 



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of then exterior surface. From these (lescriptioTis of Quarra and 

 Abo, from all one learns of *^Gran Quivera," and from the walls of 

 the houses, in the latter place, having, as Gregg has stated, the 

 Spj^nish coat of arms upon their face, one must conclude that these 

 huildings were erected by Spaniards, or, at leustj under the direc- 

 tion of some Spanish padre. 



As these remains of buildings have created all kinds of hypo- 

 thesis, — some attributing their origin to Indians, and some to 

 Spaniards, I have taken the pains to look into several of the most 

 excellent histories of this country; such as Solis, Miguel Venegas, 

 ?nd Clavigero. Venegas states, that in 1538, Marcos Niza, a Fran- 

 ciscan, visited a large town called *^ Quivira,'" with houses seven 

 storit s high. Again, in 1542, Francois Vasquez Covonada marches 

 north to the Rio Gila, and then east, to the great cities of ^^Qui- 

 Tira" and ^* Axa," near the kingdom of ^^ Cibolo" and ''T4gue.'^ 

 Pattarrax was king of this region; the riches of this people con- 

 sisted of blatk cattle, (buffalo?) that are food, furniture, and cloth- 

 ing," This Settles ihe question, that '' Quivira'l and '' Axa" were 

 originally Indian towns. This great kingdom of '^ Cibolo," (ihia 

 word, at the present day, is used to mean buffalo,) although distant 

 from the city of Mexic o, must have been known to Montezuma, for 

 we find the Spaniards struck with amazement at the sight of a singu- 

 lar aniftial in the zoological gardens of the Mexican monarch, such 

 as they had not setrn before. — Nor, according to Vanegas, was it 

 knoun in '^ Sonora," or along the river '* Gila.'' In Solis, this 

 animal is thus described; '^ This greatest rarity — the Mexican bull, 

 has a bunch on its back like a camel, its flanks dry, its tail large, 

 Deck covered with hair, like a lion; it is cloven-footed, its head 

 armed Lke tjbat of a bull, which it resembles in fierceness, with no 

 less strength and agility." We know, from the present habits of 

 the buffalo, that it confines its wanderings to the plains; and we 

 know, from Vanegas and Solis, that it was not known in Cgilifornia 

 or Mexico; it must, then, have come from the plains bordering the 

 eastern side of these regions. Now, the Mexicans had a habit of 

 giving names to men, si-gnificant of their achievements or adven- 

 tures, and names to places, significant of events connected with 

 their origin, or for something for which they were remarkable. 

 Thus, the great Tezcucan prince was called '^ Nezahual-coyotl,^^ 

 the hungry coyotl, or wolf: ^' Nezahual-pilli," the prince for 

 "whom one has fasted: and the ancient name of Mexico, *^ Teno- 

 chtilan," sign fies cactus on a rock!* It is not then assuming too 

 much, to conclude that the kingdom of '^ Cibolo" signifies the 

 country from whence the buffalo came. 



We shall now cocnpare the style of architecture in New Mexico, 

 •with that of the city of Aztecs, At Taos we "now find houses 

 seven stories high; at Acoma three stories; at Laguna they are two 

 stories high, and built of stone and mud; while those of Quivira 



• For the Aztecs, in their wanderings, observed at the present site of ^exmo a ca^^^^^ 

 that h^d.nrnn<T from ihe crevice ofa rot-fc, and whiJ^ looking a: it, aa ea^,e ht npoa i^e 



■friti. :^,. tUnx7 ^f»;i thi« fyrr^on jinH here build Mexico. 



eaetu 



