uropeans, their religion, and their
domination. The army which had besieged Santa Fe quickly
entered that city, took possession of the Palace as the
seat of government, and commenced the work of demolition.
The churches and the monastery of the Franciscans were
burned with all their contents, amid the almost frantic
acclamations of the natives. The gorgeous vestments of
the priests had been dragged out before the conflagration,
and now were worn in derision by Indians, who rode through
the streets at full speed, shouting for joy. The official
documents and books in the Palace were brought forth,
and made fuel for a bonfire in the centre of the Plaza;
and here also they danced the cachina, with all the
accompanying religious ceremonies of the olden time.
Everything imaginable was done to show their detestation
of the Christian faith and their determination to utterly
eradicate even its memory. Those who had been baptized
were washed with amole in the Rio Chiquito, in order to be
cleansed from the infection of Christianity. All baptismal
names were discarded, marriages celebrated by Christian
priests were annulled, the very mention of the names Jesus
and Mary was made an offence, and estuffas were constructed
to take the place of ruined churches.[10]

For twelve years, although many abortive attempts were made to recapture
the country, the Pueblos were left in possession. On the 16th of
October, 1693, the victorious Spaniards at last entered Santa Fe,
bearing the same banner which had been carried by Onate when he entered
the city just a century before. The conqueror this time was Don Diego
de Vargas Zapata Lujan, whom the viceroy of New Spain had appointed
governor in the spring of 1692, with the avowed purpose of having New
Mexico reconquered as speedily as possible.

Thus it will be seen that the quaint old city has been the scene of many
important historical events, the mere outline of which I have recorded
here, as this book is not devoted to the historical view of the subject.

In contradistinction to the quiet, sleepy old Santa Fe of half a
century ago, it now presents all the vigour, intelligence, and bustling
progressiveness of the average American city of to-day, yet still smacks
of that