CHAPTER IX
FOUNDING OF EL PASO AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MISSIONS AT LA JUNTA, 1659-1 684 Or"iate names El Paso del Norte. We have seen how by 1580 the Spanish outposts of Nueva Vizcaya had reached the headwaters of the Conchos River with the establishment of San Bartolome and Santa Barbara, from where the various expeditions into New Mexico were undertaken in the last twenty years of the sixteenth century. It was from these outposts that Rodriguez and those who followed him started. They generally followed the Conchos to the Rio Grande and hence along this river to New Mexico. But it was Juan de Oiiate who first discovered and named the famous crossing on the Rio Grande now known as El Paso de! Norte. Striking out from the vicinity of San Bartolome on the Conchos in a northern direction instead of following this river to the east as previous expeditions, Oiiate and his men encountered incredible difficulties and underwent extreme suffering in order to avoid going through the country of the Patarabueyes (the Jumanos of La Junta de los Rios) who were on the warpath at this time. Let Villagra describe in his vivid style the hardships of this memorable march that led the Spaniards to El Paso. "We advanced," he says, "and for fifty days we marched, enduring hardships patiently, trusting in God to bring us with safety to the river's shore ... We journeyed on and on until it seemed that we would never find our way out of these unpeopled regions, traversing vast and solitary plains where the foot of Christian had never trod before. · Our provisions gave out, and we were obliged to subsist on such edible weeds and roots as we found. But we went fonvard, sometimes through dense thickets which tore our clothes and left us ragged ; at other times over rough stony passes where it was almost necessary to drag our tired mounts. Our shoes were worn out, and we suffered terribly from the burning sands, for our horses were scarcely able to drag their tired bodies along and pack our baggage, let alone carry us. The horses suffered most, poor dumb brutes; they were almost frantic with thirst, and their eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. After four days of travel without water they were well-nigh blind, and could scarcely see where they were going; stumbling against the rocks and trees along their path ... "Our faith was finally rewarded ... after journeying, as stated, for
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