The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 15, July 1911 - April, 1912 Page: 138
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138
Texas Historical Association Quarterly
named Lucas de Ganboa, Otermin determined to make confidants
of two Christian Indians, and send them to the jurisdictions of
the Tanos and Queres in order that he might learn for a certainty
of the true state of affairs there. Trusting these Indians because
they left their families in his care in the villa, and having be-
stowed upon them kindnesses and presents to enlist them in this
undertaking, Otermin despatched them "in the said confidence,"
on Thursday, August 13, with letters and orders to, the alcaldes
mayores of the Tanos and Queres jurisdictions, in case they should
be found alive.1 All that day and night the inhabitants of the
villa anxiously awaited the return of the messengers and the news
that they might bring. Nor did they have long to wait, for on
the next morning (August 14) the two Indians came fleeing into
the villa with news that confirmed the gravest fears of the Span-
iards. They reported that more than five hundred Indians from
Pecos, San Marcos, La Ci6nega, Galisteo, San Crist6bal, and San
LAzaro, led by a Tanos Indian named Juan, to whom Otermin
had entrusted an order to be carried to the alcalde at Galisteo,
were less than a league away, and that they were only waiting for
the arrival of the Taos, Picuris, and Tewa Indians to begin the
attack on the villa. This they intended to level to the ground,
and after killing the Governor and all those with him they were
to return undisturbed to their ancient liberties and the adoration
and obedience of the gods of their fathers.2
(B) The Siege of Santa Fe.-Completely cut off from the out-
:side world, with the last hope of reinforcements from the nearby
jurisdictions gone, and surrounded on all sides by an overwhelm-
ing force of hostile Indians, the Spaniards in Santa Fe resigned
themselves to the siege. It began on Thursday, August 15.3
'"Auto y dilijengia," in Auttos tocantes, 5.
2Ibid., 5-6.
3'lhe original source for the events of the siege of Santa F6 is an auto
of Otermfn dated August 13 at the beginning and August 20 at the end.
From this it would seem that the auto was a continuous one being
added to from day to day, though the events mentioned in it as occurring
after the 13th seem to have been recorded at one time, and undoubtedly
without any effort to fix accurately the dates thereafter mentioned. While
Otermtn does not say definitely when the siege began, he does say that
after nine days, "during which time the siege lasted" (que duro el sitio,
see: "Auto (de Otermin)," in Auttos tocantes, 32), he ceased fighting
with the Indians about the 11th hour of the 20th day of August. (See:
"Autto (de Otermin) : Salieron el dia 22," in Auttos tocantes, 7.) This
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 15, July 1911 - April, 1912, periodical, 1912; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101056/m1/143/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.