If you look closely around the walls at about eye level, even on the far
side, you can see names carved into the rock. Most of these date from
1850 to 1900, and were the work of emigrants and soldiers.
How did they get over there? In the early days, there was probably a
sandbank around the edge, and people could ride or walk around the pool.
In 1942, a heavy rock fall filled the waterhole. When the sand and
rubble were removed, the old dam was reinforced and lined with concrete.
Do not write or carve on the cliff, and please don’t touch. Touching
the inscriptions causes them to wear away more rapidly.
The mud formations on the face of the rock above the pool are the nests
of cliff swallows. These birds come to El Morro each year to nest and
raise their young.
[Illustration: _The waterhole_]
3. Along the base of the mesa are examples of the predominant types of
trees found in the Southwest. From left to right these are:
(1) One-seed juniper (_Juniperus monosperma_), which can be used for
fenceposts and fuel.
(2) Pinyon pine (_Pinus edulis_), noted for its edible nuts which are
harvested in the fall.
(3) Ponderosa pine (_Pinus ponderosa_), which provides excellent wood
for construction and building purposes.
Watch for black sage (_Artemisia tridentata_) along the right side of
the trail. This is the purple sage of western fiction and is recognized
by the silvery down on the leaves and the purplish color of the shaggy
bark. The strong aromatic odor of sagebrush is especially noticeable
after a rain.
4. In the desert varnish, the darker colored rock, note particularly a
sequence showing hand prints, foot prints and a zig-zag trail going to a
hole in the cliff. This could mean, “Follow the hand and foot trail to
the pool of water.”
The signature of Mr. Long is the most impressive one on the rock. It
appears to have been carved between 1850 and 1862, probably with a knife
after being sketched. Just to your right around the corner, note “Mr.
Engle” in block print and “Mr. Bryn” in script. Engle was Beale’s
second-in-command and Long and Bryn were members of Beale’s company.
5. There is a good account of Mr. P. (Peachy) Gilmer Breckinridge from
the Virginia Historical Society. He graduated from Virginia Military
Institute, and as a young man rode across the continent to California.
In 1857 Lt. Edward Beale was in charge of an expedition testing camels
for use in the American deserts. Breckinridge was in charge of the 25
camels used by Beale when they passed El Morro.
Remaining there only a short time, he rode back to Virginia just in time
to get into the Civil War. He was killed in a skirmish at Kennon’s
Landing, Virginia, in 1863.
[Illustration: _E. Pen Long inscription_]
6. Here you observe a number of very faint Spanish inscriptions which
have never been completely studied. Note the word “año” (year) 1646. To
the right is a lamp-blackened inscription reading “paso por aqui Miguel
Alfaro.” (Passed by here, Miguel Alfaro). A date is not given, nor is
the man yet known to us. Scholars, dating the inscriptions by letter
style, say it was done about 1700.
The round black discs along the bottom of the rock are section markers.
Each one is lettered and they divide the face of the cliff into sections
so the inscriptions can be easily located and recorded.
7. In Spanish, this inscription says: “A veinticinco del mes de junio,
año de 1709 paso por aqui para Zuñi—Ramon Garcia Jurado.” Translated, it
reads:
“On the 25th of the month of June, of this year of 1709, passed by
here on the way to Zuñi—Ramon Garcia Jurado.”
[Illustration: _Ramon Garcia Jurado inscription, 1709_]
You can find Señor Jurado’s name in old Spanish documents. In 1728 he
was the “alcalde mayor” of the Keres district, not far south of Santa
Fe.
To your right is a blackened inscription which reads, translated, “By
here passed Pedro Romero on the 22nd of August, year of 1751.” Little is
known about this Spanish gentleman.
8. “By here passed Andres Romero, of the year 1774.” This Spaniard is
unknown. The date is important because it is apparently the last Spanish
inscription before the coming of the Americans in 1849.
9. Notice the petroglyphs here, in particular the four mountain sheep
and what appears to be a bear paw. These are, of course, far older than
the Spanish inscriptions above them.
The Spanish inscription reads:
“Pasamos por aquí el Sargento Mayor y el Capitan Jude de Archuleta y
el Ayudante Diego Martin Barba y el Alferez Agustin de Ynojos año de
1636.”
Translated, it reads:
“We passed by here, the Sergeant Major and Captain Juan de Archuleta
and Adjutant Diego Martin Barba and Ensign Agustin de Ynojos, the year
of 1636.”
The “Sergeant Major” was not an enlisted man, as now—he was the officer
in direct command of the troops. The ensign was the standard bearer,
corresponding in grade to a second lieutenant.
Barba and Archuleta were accused of aiding a rebellion during one of the
numerous civil disturbances that plagued the Spanish in New Mexico. In
1643 they were beheaded.
10. Here is the oldest and most famous inscription at El Morro. It was
done by the first governor of New Mexico, Don Juan de Oñate, in 1605, 15
years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
In 1604, Oñate rode south with 30 men to the Gulf of California. On his
return the next year, he made his inscription, which reads:
“Paso por aquí el adelantado Don Juan de Oñate del descubrimiento de
la mar del sur a 16 de Abril de 1605.”
The translation reads:
“Passed by here the Governor Don Juan de Oñate, from the discovery of
the Sea of the South on the 16th of April, 1605.”
By “Sea of the South,” Oñate meant Gulf of California, an arm of the
Pacific Ocean. He was not the first Spaniard to see it, of course.
This was not Oñate’s first visit to El Morro—on December 13, 1598, he
passed here from Zuñi with a group of Spanish soldiers, enroute to the
Rio Grande via Acoma.
[Illustration: _Juan de Oñate inscription. 1605_]
Below the Oñate inscription, partly hidden by the yucca plant, is an
inscription that reads:
“By here passed the Ensign Don Joseph de Payba Basconzelos, the year
he brought the cabildo of the realm at his own expense the 18th of
February, of the year 1726.”
What Basconzelos actually meant is not clear to us.
11. Continuing along the cliff, among the many inscriptions and
petroglyphs you will be able to locate a church, stars, crucifixes, a
little cavalry guidon (flag) and the prominent inscription of R. H.
Orton, who was the Adjutant-General of California after the Civil War.
You may also be able to locate the names of Simpson and Kern (but more
about them at post #21.) The Indian Petroglyphs are higher on the rock
because, through the centuries, erosion lowered the ground level.
12. Begin here with the highest set of inscriptions. The ground level
was higher then, as shown by this tree, which surely did not begin
growing on top of a mound! Done by one of New Mexico’s most famous
frontier governors, this inscription reads:
“Aqui estuvo de General Don Diego de Vargas, quien conquisto a nuestra
Santa Fe y a la Real Corona todo el Nuevo Mexico a su costa, Año de
1692.”
or:
“Here was the General Don Diego de Vargas, who conquered for our Holy
Faith, and for the Royal Crown, all of New Mexico at his own expense,
year of 1692.”
Twelve years earlier, in 1680, the Pueblo (Indian) revolt had taken
place. Many Spanish were killed and the remainder fled to El Paso. In
1692, de Vargas returned to re-establish Spanish control of the pueblos.
He was later imprisoned for 3 years in the governor’s palace and when
released, restored as governor. He died in Bernalillo in 1704.
Below the de Vargas inscription are three names, “Williamson,”
“Holland,” and “John Udell,” all with the same date of 1858. These men
were members of the first emigrant train to try this new route to
California.
A good account of the trip can be found in the _Journal of John Udell_,
a Baptist preacher who, with his 64-year-old wife, decided to visit his
children in Sacramento. The party, consisting of 40 families and their
equipment, finally reached the Colorado River, only to be attacked by
the Mojave Indians. Several of the group were killed and practically all
of their equipment stolen or burned.
The survivors, including the elderly Udell and wife, returned to
Albuquerque, walking most of the way. They passed El Morro enroute,
arriving in Albuquerque, nearly starved, in November 1858. Remaining
there for the winter, Udell and some of the others again started for
California in 1859 in the company of Lt. Edward F. Beale, famous for his
camel caravan of 1858, which also came west by way of El Morro.
They had no difficulty reaching California, and finding their children
in Sacramento. Mr. Udell is known to have died in the Golden State, a
very old man.
13. The first emigrant train (mentioned in station 12) was led by Mr.
L. J. Rose. He was born in Germany and moved to New Orleans in 1830. He
later moved to Iowa where he became wealthy in the dry goods business.
Rose was wounded by Mojave Indians in the attack mentioned by Udell.
After recovering from his wounds he went to Los Angeles and became one
of its leading citizens.
14. Some of the high carvings have the letters “U. P. R.” written
after them. In 1868, the Union Pacific Railroad ran a survey through
here, but the project was never carried out. The development of the
Santa Fe Railroad 25 miles to the north effectively ended the use of El
Morro as a stopping place.
There is good reason to believe that practically all of the names you
see here on the point date _after_ 1850.
Looking west along the rock, you will note that the inscriptions end
about where the small juniper is growing. Probably the rough surface
beyond the little tree discouraged carving.
But don’t stop here! Some of the best of the early Spanish inscriptions
await you up the path.
15. Slightly to your left, several miles away, is a multi-colored
mesa. It is composed of the same material as El Morro, was formed about
the same time, and is approximately the same height. The brighter colors
are caused by thin films of iron oxide around the sand grains, which are
not conspicuously present in El Morro. Lack of water kept the early
travelers from stopping there.
16. As the saying goes, the writer of this inscription “counted his
chickens before they hatched.” He tells us:
“Year of 1716 on the 26th of August passed by here Don Feliz Martinez,
Governor and Captain General of this realm to the reduction and
conquest of the Moqui (Hopi) and (in his company?) the reverend Father
Friar Antonio Camargo, Custodian and ecclesiastical judge.”
[Illustration: _Don Feliz Martinez inscription, 1716_]
Governor Martinez found the Hopis unwilling to accept Spanish
domination, and after about 2 months of quarreling, (mostly with words
and fist-shaking) the expedition returned, quite unsuccessful, to Santa
Fe.
Now continue on up to the next landing.
17. Because they were written on the same day and seemingly in the
same handwriting, we presume that this inscription and the one to the
west were written by the same man. The first one says:
“The 28th day of September of 1737, arrived here the Bachelor Don Juan
Ignacio of Arrasain.”
The second reads:
“The 28th day of September of 1737, arrived here the illustrious Señor
Don Martin de Elizacochea, Bishop of Durango, and the day following,
went on to Zuñi.”
The good “Bachelor” was a Bachelor of Laws, not necessarily a single
man. The event records one of the first visits to this territory by a
Bishop from Durango, Mexico.
[Illustration: _Don Martin de Elizacochea inscription, 1737_]
[Illustration: _Don Francisco Manuel de Silva Niéto Poem, 1629_]
18. Inscriptions on the north side are difficult to photograph,
because the sun shines around here only a couple of hours per day during
the summer. Here is the only poem on the rock:
“Aqui (llego el Señor) y Gobernor
Don Francisco Manuel de Silva Nieto
Que lo imposible tiene ya subjeto
Su brazo indubitable y su valor
Con los carros del Rey Nuestro Señor
Cosa Que solo el puso en este efecto
De Agostos 5 (Mil) Seiscientos Veinte Nueve
Que se Bien a Zuñi pasa y la Fe lleve.”
The poem, of course does not rhyme when translated into English.
“Here arrived the Señor and Governor
Don Francisco Manuel de Silva Nieto
Whose indubitable arm and valor
Have overcome the impossible
With the wagons of the King our Lord
A thing which he alone put into this effect
August 5, 1629 that one may well to Zuñi
pass and carry the faith.”
19. If you are an enlisted man, you’ll appreciate this one. The first
two lines of the inscription read:
“The 14th day of July 1736 passed by here the General Juan Paez
Hurtado, Inspector.”
The second two lines, no doubt added when the good general’s back was
turned, read:
“And in his company, the Corporal Joseph Trujillo!”
We wonder what ever happened to Corporal Trujillo!
20. You are now looking at the longest and one of the most interesting
inscriptions on the rock, supposedly done by Governor Eulate:
“I am the captain General of the Providence of New Mexico for the King
our Lord, passed by here on the return from the pueblos of Zuñi on the
29th of July the year 1620, and put them at peace at their humble
petition, they asking favor as vassals of his Majesty and promising
anew their obedience, all of which he did, with clemency, zeal, and
prudence, as a most Christian-like (gentleman) extraordinary and
gallant soldier of enduring and praised memory.”
The word crossed out appears to have been “gentleman.” Somebody who knew
the old boy apparently took exception to all this highflown praise.
(That the erasure was done before 1849 can be proved, see Simpson,
next).
21. Lt. J. H. Simpson, an engineer for the army, and Mr. R. H. Kern, a
Philadelphia artist who rode around with the army drawing pictures, were
the first English-speaking people to make a record of Inscription Rock.
[Illustration: _Eulate inscription, 1620_]
[Illustration: _Simpson and Kern inscription, 1849_]
They spent 2 days copying the inscriptions, and stated that when they
were here, not a single English inscription could be found on the rock.
Recall the word “gentleman” crossed out back at Stake No. 20? Mr. Kern’s
drawing faithfully shows the word X’d out just as you saw it.
The Spanish inscription below was done by one of three Spanish soldiers
left to “guard” 2,000 Zuñi Indians in 1699. It reads:
“I am of the hand (that is, written by) of Felipe de Arellano on the
16th of September, soldier.”
In 1700, the Zuñis apparently thought the odds in their favor were good,
so they killed the three Spaniards.
To the right of Arellano’s inscription is a marvel of Spanish
“shorthand.” A good scholar translated it for us. Here it is in both
Spanish and English:
“Se pasaron a 23 de marzo de 1632 años a la venganza de muerte del
Padre Letrado.—Lujan”
The translation reads:
“They passed on the 23rd of March, 1632, to the avenging of the death
of the Father Letrado.—Lujan”
About the year 1629, Father Letrado built the earliest mission chapel at
what we call today Salinas National Monument (near Mountainair, New
Mexico, southwest of Albuquerque).
He was transferred to Zuñi in February of 1632 and was killed just a
week later. On hearing the news in Santa Fe, Lujan and a party of
soldiers reached Zuñi in remarkably fast time.
[Illustration: _Lujan inscription, 1632_]
This is the end of the inscription part of our trail. You may retrace
your steps back to headquarters, or, if you wish, you may continue your
hike on up over the mesa top, past the ruins, and down to headquarters
by the return trail on the other side.