01'r Catliolic Heritage in Texas
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report, that the friars who had remained in New Mexico were dead, was false,n it was decided to hasten the march in the hope of rescuing them and to wait no longer for Father Heredia. The soldiers held a meeting and elected Espejo officially their captain and on December 17, the expedition having recrossed the Rio Grande to the west or south side, resumed the march to the pueblos of New Mexico. On February 1, 1583, forty-five days after they started from tile junction of the Conchos with the Rio Grande, Espejo and his com- panions arrived in the southernmost pueblos of the Piros in New Mexico. Here they learned that both Father Lopez and Fray Agustin had been martyred by the Tiguas. Continuing on their journey of exploration, Espejo and his men entered the Tigua country, where the Indians fled to the mountains fo~ fear of being punished. On February 17, they arrived in Puaray, where the two missionaries had been killed, and renamed it "Puala de los Marti res" ( Puala of the Martyrs), present Sandia. Father Beltran now proposed that the expedition return, the fate of the missionaries having been definitely ascertained. But Espejo and some of his companions were not ready to give up the hunt for richer pueblos. "I deemed this a good opportunity," says Espejo, "to serve His Majesty by visiting and discovering those lands so new and so remote, in order to give a report of them to His Majesty with no expense to him in their discovery. I therefore determined to continue as long as my strength would permit." 38 The expedition then visited the Queres pueblos on the Rio Grande and the Jemez valley where they were told of rich provinces to the west. They therefore set out for Zufii by way of Acoma, and arriving there on March 14, remained among these pueblos for several days because of the cold. Hearing of other settlements to the west, Espejo proposed that they go to them. Father Beltran and a few others refused to go farther. Espejo and eleven men, accompanied by a group of Zufii warriors, set out for Moqui on April 11. No trace of silver or gold was found . After a short stay among the Moqui, who gave the Spaniards a gift of four thousand cotton blankets, they marched back to Zufii, bringing the story of a lake to the west, where people wore bracelets and earrings of gold. Father Beltran and a few soldiers refused to continue exploring 37Before the expedition set out an Indian servant of those left with the mission- aries returned and reported that at least one had been killed. For details, see Bolton, Spanis/J Exploration, I 59; Mecham, "Second Expedition," in o-p. cit ., 289. 31"Espejo's account of the Journey," in Bolton, Spanis/J Exploration, 179-180.
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