273
Founding of El Paso and Establishment of illissions
the viceroy, and promised them to do everything he could to secure more missionaries for them. It was on the following day that Captain Dominguez de Mendoza called all the Indians together again and asked them officially if they had ever been visited before this time by Spaniards and whether anyone had ever taken formal possession of their lands for the king. To this they replied unanimously that with the exception of the visits of Fathers Garcia de San Francisco and Sumesta. no one had ever come to their pueblos. "For this reason," says Mendoza. "and seeing that the country belong-eel to [the jurisdiction of] New Mexico, I took possession of it in the name of His Royal and Catholic Majesty with all the formalities prescribed by law." He then explained to the Indians, who had gathered on this occasion what their obligations were; whereupon the chiefs and captains of the various tribes asked him to appoint four governors in order to serve better the interests of the king and God. Complying with their request, Mendoza appointed the four captains or governors and gave them the batons that were the insignia of their office in the name of both Majesties. 55 Curious enough, by the time that Mendoza was taking formal possession of this land for the king. the Indian tribes of the Zuma nations that lived to the north between La Junta and El Paso were already in revolt against the Spaniards. "Having learned," says Mendoza, "that on the route along the Rio Grande de! Norte, which goes to the mission of the Manso Indians and El Paso del Norte, which is one hundred leagues distant more or less ... the barbarous nations that live there were in revolt. particularly the Zumas; and that these, with many other nations were laying in wait for us, I thought it well to follow the Conchos to the Sacramento" and hence to El Paso. 56 55 Auto de Posesion of Captain Mendoza, in his Itinerary, A. G. JI!., Pro11incias l11ter11as, Vol. 37, pt. 2, pp. 32-33. Just where the act of possession took place is not clear, because Mendoza says "being on this other side of the river.' ' which, if taken from the direction followed on the return march from Texas, would be on the Mexican side, but if taken from the direction in which he entered Texas, it would be on the Texas side. He also has another peculiar expression in this auto, saying. '·and seeing that it. belonged to New i\'Iexico," which again may be interpreted in either way. Some claim that the land to the east of the Rio Grande and south of El Paso at this time was not considered as being under the jurisdiction of New Mexico, but the facts seem to point to the contrary, because it is evident that the various expeditions that set out from New Mexico during the years between 1650 and 1684 in search of the country of the Jumanos, certainly went east of the Rio Grande into present Texas and did not state that this country was not under its jurisdiction, but in fact claimed it for New Mexico. 54 /tinerary of Afendoza, i11 A. G. ;If. , Pro11i11cias /11ler11as, Vol. 37, pt. 2, p. 34.
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