The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 15, July 1911 - April, 1912 Page: 140
382 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Texas Historical Association Quarterly
committed. But no such promise from the Spaniards, whom they
had come to distrust,1 was to be considered, and accordingly Juan
returned to his people, who received him back in their midst with
great shouts, the ringing of bells, and the burning of the chapel
of San Miguel.
The die was now cast and nothing remained but to fight.
Thinking it best, therefore, to attack this body of Indians before
the main division of the allies came up, Otermin despatched a
troop of soldiers to dislodge them from the plain of San Miguel.
Immediately upon seeing the Spanish soldiers leave the royal
houses, the Indians met them on the outskirts of the villa, and so
furiously did they fight, that in order to save the day the Gov-
ernor was obliged to go in person with reinforcements for his men.
The Indians fortified themselves behind the houses of the villa,
however, where they fought with the arms and munitions of those
they had already killed elsewhere, and all day long the battle
raged. By evening the Indians were nearly conquered, and hav-
ing lost many of their warriors, they collected a large number of
cattle, set fire to the houses on that side of the villa, and, gather-
ing up their dead, withdrew. Not a single casualty is reported
on the side of the Spaniards, though the number of Indians killed
was considerable. Davis says that the Spaniards had a few killed
in this engagement,2 but I can find no authority for such a state-
ment. The total loss on the side of the Spaniards during the
whole siege, as will be seen, was only five.
At just this critical moment, however, the expected aid arrived
from the Tewa, Taos, and Picuris Indians, who now threw them-
selves on the other side of the villa. In this extremity the Span-
iards, in order that the northern allies might not take complete
possession of the villa, were forced to abandon the pursuit of the
Tanos, who then escaped in flight. It was already past sundown
when the fresh warriors arrived. These at once began the attack
with such "shamelessness and daring" that they were able to gain
an eminence behind the royal houses, where they pitched their
camp, and from where they discharged many arquebuses at the
besieged in the houses. The attempt of the Spaniards to dislodge
1" (Declaracion) de diego Lopes," in Autos Pertenecientes, 53.
2Davis, The Spanish Conquest of New Mexico, 294.140
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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/m1/145/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.