Kachina and the Cross (36 page)

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Authors: Carroll L Riley

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BOOK: Kachina and the Cross
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Page 175
Santo Domingo corn dance (from Century Magazine, 1890, courtesy of the
Museum of New Mexico, neg. no. 109020)
Spanish. He worked with the missionaries but also was often called on by Alcalde mayor Aguilar. For a time he seems to have been successful in balancing various of the contending forces in seventeenth-century New Mexico: the Franciscans, the governor's party (Clemente was a partner to López on trade ventures into the Plains), and both Christianized and traditional elements within the Pueblos.
This statement by Clementeif indeed it was not fabricated by the missionarieswas self-serving. A few years later, during the administration of Governor Villanueva (1665-68) Clemente attempted to lead a revolt. He was hanged, and after his death large amounts of native ceremonial gear were found in his house.
In May of 1661 the retired alcalde mayor, Tomé Domínguez de Mendoza, deposed that at Isleta in the fall of 1660 the Indians of the pueblo petitioned Governor López to be able to perform their dances. "The governor gave the permission freely and without any objection." Warned by Domínguez that the dances were considered idolatrous and diabolical, López replied that
the people did not know what they were talking about; that the
zarambeque
and other dances which the Spaniards dance were not prohibited, and he had not
Page 176
observed that there were any superstitions connected with the catzinas; he also asked the deponent whether he had observed any. The deponent replied that he had never seen them performed in his life because the religious had prohibited them as being evil, and always mentioned the
catzinas
when they spoke against the superstitions of the Indians.
López thereupon ordered the Isleta Indians to continue with their dance, which Domínguez then described.
The Indians went out to dance the
catzinas
before the governor and the Spaniards who were with him, among whom the deponent recalls were Juan Domínguez brother of the deponent, Miguel de Noriega, who was secretary of government and war, Juan Griego Naguatlato of the Teguas nation [probably a translator], a resident of the villa of Santa Fe, and one Artiega, whose first name he does not know. The Indians went out wearing various evil costumes; one of them especially had an ugly costume, like a devil, with horns on the head and a bearskin which he dangled by two fingers thrust through the eye-socketa horrible thing. They sang something which sounded like "Hu-hu-hu,"' at which the governor said "look there, this dance contains nothing more than this 'Hu-huhu,' and these thieving friars say that it is superstitious." The deponent knew from the faces of those who were present that they were much affected by this action, but offered no opposition to it because the speaker was their governor and captain-general. Along with the Indians who wore the horrible figure of the devil already mentioned were three others who walked somewhat apart.
After this experience with the governor, Tomé Domínguez became increasingly interested in the Indian dances. At one point he entered one of the Pueblos' underground kivas near the Isleta church and convent. "There he saw hanging up eleven figures, or diabolical masks, with which the Indians dance the
catzinas
, just as we have our holy images; at the foot of one of them was the offering which they are accustomed to make, which was a wreath of flowering grasses. He did not see here any figure which precisely represented the devil." Francisco Valencia of Isleta, who gave testimony in May 1661, stated that:
he was in the pueblo of Cuarac [Quarai] in the month of October of last year [1660] when Nicolás de Aguilar, the
mestizo alcalde mayor
of these pueblos, gave the Indians permission to dance their diabolical dances. An old Indian came to say to the pueblo that they should get ready, for the
catzinas
who are their heathen priests, were coming. The Indians of the pueblo went out, taking with them a
mestiza
who lives there to receive the
catzinas.
One of the latter pretending to be the devil, went throughout the pueblo uttering loud cries and saying to the people
Page 177
that he had been exiled a long time, but that now they might be happy for he was coming to stay with them. He then gave to the
mestiza
a fir branch which he had in his hand, and she took it, and put it in her house. The deponent is ignorant of the significance of this ceremony. Afterwards the
catzinas
walked around about the pueblo shouting, and then went and brought earthen bowls, squashes, and other things, according to their superstitious custom. The deponent alone counted many persons who saw this, and was very deeply moved to see such a thing.
In 1663, Bernardo López de Mendizábal, now in an Inquisition prison, responded at great lengths to the various charges against him. Regarding the Indians' dances, López said:
that the Indians of those provinces are of most diverse nations and tongues. And each one dances according to his custom; they do not all dance the
catzinas
generally. . . . Indians of the pueblo of Tesuque came to the villa of Santa Fé and, as he remembers, with them came their encomendero, Francisco Gómez, and Juan Griego as interpreter. Among other things they asked permission to dance the
catzinas
. The accused [López] asked what dance that was. The
encomendero
having replied, as he recalls, as well as the interpreter and others present, concerning the nature of the dance, stating that it was simply an exhibition of agility, the accused wanted to see it, desiring also that the
guardián
of the villa, Fray Diego Rodriguez, who administered the Indians, should see it. In order that he might do so, the accused sent Toribio de la Huerta to call him. The latter returned, saying that the friar, Diego Rodriguez, was finishing his prayers, or some other employment. The accused, seeing that it was late and that the Indians had to return to their pueblo, told them to dance. They did so after this fashion; ten or twelve Indians dressed themselves in the ordinary clothes which they commonly wear and put on masks painted with human figures of men; then half of them, with timbrels, such as commonly used in New Spain, in their hands, went out to the plaza. The others carried thongs, or whips, in their hands. They placed in the middle of the plaza four or six watermelons . . . . After putting the watermelons in the middle of the plaza, those who were dancing continued to do so noisily, sounding the timbrels crazily, as they are accustomed to do, and saying, "Hu, hu, hu." In this fashion they circled around the plaza and the other Indians with the thongs went along, leaping, watching the watermelons, or prizes, from a distance, and allowing opportunity for other youths and boys, Indians or others, to slip in and snatch the watermelons. The one who did so they chased, and if they caught him they gave him many blows with the thongs, but if they did not catch him, he, being more fleet of foot, carried off the watermelon without receiving any lashes. When several had thus run away the dance stopped, and it contained no

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