Our Catleolic Heritage in Texas
On September 13, at Fray Cristobal, Governor Otermin and his wearied companions finally caught up with Captain Garcia and his followers who had halted to wait for him. When Otermin reached Isleta and found it deserted, he had hurriedly sent a messenger ahead to Garcia ordering that officer to wait for him. Together the survivors of the tragic revolt con- tinued their march south along the Rio Grande until they reached a place called La Salineta, on September 29. This site where the camp was pitched was within the present limits of Texas, scarcely more than four leagues above the monastery of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de El Paso. It was here that a Junta de Guerra was held to decide whether they should establish a permanent camp or take a position beyond the Rio Grande. The unanimous opinion of the council was that it would be best to continue to El Paso and to establish a settlement on the opposite side of the river, near Guadalupe, at a place called La Toma del Rio del Norte, evidently where the irrigation ditch for the mission lands had been opened. From here, it was thought well to send a mes- senger to the viceroy to carry a detailed report of the revolt, asking him for aid to reconquer the province. 20 Number of survivors. How many survivors arrived safely in La Salineta? Most of the records declare that there were approximately twenty-five hundred. But as soon as they reached this site, many of them began to desert, impatient of any delays that might occur until the decision to proceed to El Paso was definitely made. Some of the runaways took refuge in the settlements of Nueva Vizcaya. When Governor Otermin made a muster roll, which was concluded on October 2, it was found that there were one thousand nine hundred forty-six persons in all, including soldiers, servants, women, children, and Indian allies. Of this number only one hundreci fifty-five were men capable of bearing arms. The Indian allies, · who were former inhabitants of the mission pueblos of Isleta, Sevilleta, Alameda, Socorro, and Senecu numbered three hundred seventy persons in all, including men, women, and children. There were only four hundred seventy-one horses, but these were, for the most part, so poor that they were unfit for military service. But in spite of the deplorable condition of the survivors of the revolt, thanks to the untiring efforts of Father Fray Francisco de Ayeta, who may truthfully be called the rescuing and ministering angel of Providence for the unfortunate refugees, Otermin was able to declare in his report
28/bid., 147. See also Hughes, op. cit., 315-316.
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