[Certification of Captain Rael de Aguilar.

Santa Fe, January 10, 1706]

Captain Don Alfonso Rael de Aguilar, secretary of government and war, alcalde ordinario of the village of Santa Fe, the capital of this kingdom and province of New Mexico, protector-general of the Indians native to its pueblos and frontiers, etc.:

I certify, as is my duty, and as best I can, to the king, our lord (may God guard him), and to members of the royal and supreme Council, etc…..

That on the sixth day of January of the current year, 1706, there appeared before me as their protector-general the Indian governors, chiefs, captains, and the other officials of justice of the pueblos of this kingdom and jurisdiction, of the nations of the Zunis, Queres, Teguas, Hemes, Thanos, Pecos, Tiguas, Pecuries, and Thaos. They had come to this villa for the purpose of being confirmed in the positions to which they had just been elected. They all came together, having been incited thereto each by the other, asking me to hear them as their protector-general on certain subjects upon which they had conferred, and which had been dealt with and discussed in their pueblos by the old men, the chief, and the men, children, and women. These matters were all concerned with attaining the satisfaction and relief which they sought and asked to have, and it was for the purpose of presenting them that they had all been convoked and had come.

Don Domingo Romero Yuguaque, as governor of the pueblo of Tetzuque and capitan mayor de la Guerra of the Christian Indian nations of this kingdom, made the first address. He besought me to send for the members of the illustrious cabildo justicia y regimiento of this said villa of Santa Fe and for the procurador general of this said kingdom, in order that they might be present as they had been on another occasion in past years. Pursuant to his request, I sent for my companions, the senores regidores, and there came to my house the general and sargento mayor, Juan de Uribarri, procurador of this this kingdom, with Captains Antonio de Aguilera Ysasy, the alguacil mayor, Antonio de Montoya, and Antonio Lucero de Godoy. When they had taken their seats I informed them of the purpose for which they had been called and summoned to appear.

Then Don Domingo Romero began to speak in our Castilian tongue (in which he is very well instructed). He said that the occasion for having called together all the governors, chiefs, and other captains who were there present was the fact that they were exceedingly well satisfied, pleased, and content with the good treatment given them by Senor Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdez. . . .present governor and captain-general of this kingdom and province. For many days, he said, the chiefs and governors had been going from one pueblo to another summoning each other to this meeting, just as had been done forty years ago by the chiefs, governors and captains who ruled at that time, who appeared before the sargento mayor, Francisco Gomez Robledo, their protector, in the presence of the cabildo justicia y regimiento of this villa. It was then composed of Captains Francisco Lujan, Francisco de la Madrid, Pedro Lucero de Godoy, and Andres de Mondragon, and they asked their protector-general in the presence of these gentlemen to make a report in their behalf, as their representative, to his Majesty in his supreme and royal Council of the Indies, and to the most excellent senor viceroy and the royal audiencia of the City of Mexico, requesting that their governor, General Don Juan de Miranda, should be reappointed, continued and maintained in the government because of the great care and affection which he manifested toward them. In fact, said Romero, such a written petition and report was made, and, although General Don Juan de Miranda had gone, his first term having been completed, he was recalled and again installed in the governorship, in which he served twelve consecutive years. The result was that the Indians lived all this time very pleasantly, quietly, and agreeably; the story of this exemplary rule has been told to them many times by the old men and their chiefs.

However, at the time that the said senor governor and captain-general, Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdez, came into this kingdom their pueblos were greatly harassed by the continual invasions made into them by the heathen enemy Indians of the Apache nation, who killed many of their people and robbed them of their scant stores, falling upon them by surprise and subjecting them to constant danger, for they were not safe even while weeding and working their cornfields, although most people of those pueblos joined together, especially those which were most remote and, being on the frontier, suffered the greatest misfortunes. Such pueblos were those of the province of Zuni, Penol de Acoma, San Joseph de la Laguna, Xemes, Pecos, Pecuries, Thaos, Santa Clara, and La Alameda. But the Indians saw that as soon as Cuervo took possession, he made preparations and reorganized the company of this presidia castle and promptly that within fifteen days after his coming his lordship sent a company of soldiers in pursuit of two large bands of enemies from the Navajo rancherias who had stolen some beasts and cattle from the towns of San Ildefonso, Santa Clara, and San Juan.

Following this, he made various expeditions against these same enemies, all of which he won most happy victories, for he took with him from all the towns the Indians who were most skilled in war. As a result of these fortunate events all their pueblos and frontiers had become quiet and pacified, and the Indian inhabitants had been avenged and satisfied with the useful spoils of war. Added to this agreeable situation and quietude, was the fact that the governor and captain-general, Don Francisco Cuevo y Valez, was so benign, affable, and charitable, that every time they came to this villa he supplies them all, generally with food, bundles of tobacco, ribbons, hats, needles, beads, and many other trifles. He has also given to the speaker, the governor and capitan mayor, Don Domingo Romero, to Don Felipe Chistos, governor of the pueblo of Pecos, to Don Christobal Coris, governor of the pueblo of Santo Domingo, to Francisco Enjenoe, governor of the pueblo of Nambe, and to their lieutenants and interpreters, suits of fine woolen Mexican cloth like that used by the Spaniards; also he has given them white cloth for shirts, and hats, stockings, and shoes. He has ordered all Spaniards, both soldiers and settlers, not to harm or vex the Indians in any way, and the order has been obeyed, so that all the Indians native to the pueblos mentioned bear graven on their hearts the remembrance of these favors, the good counsels and the admonitions which the governor has given either in person or through his emissaries for their good treatment and the observance of regulations for their relief. [He desires] that they may live as becomes Catholic Christians, attending to the eight spiritual exercises of hearing mass, reciting the Christian doctrine, venerating the most holy cross and the sacred images of our lady, the Virgin Mary, and other saints, assisting and aiding the reverend father minister in everything, especially taking care to till and cultivate the fields for him for the regular maintenance of his person, and causing new churches and convents to be built with proper decency, as they existed before the general uprising of the year 1680. In the latter enterprise they have labored diligently, so that during the current year they have manufactured many adobes, and a number of walls have been built.

Under these circumstances, the people, finding themselves defended, happy, and secure, for the reasons named, together and singly made the same representations, asking me as their protector-general to make a report to his Majesty, to the most excellent viceroy, an to the royal audencia of the City of Mexico, setting forth their personal request that the governor and captain-general, Don Francisco Cuervo y Valdez, be continued and maintained in this government for such time as his Majesty might see fit, so that they might enjoy not only the blessings of peace but might also make progress in those things which they hoped to attain through his Catholic and successful operations; for they were very certain that they would do so, from what they had already experienced under his skillful management. This same request was made by all the chiefs and captains who were resent, each speaking in his turn, first those who were skilled in our Castilian tongue, they being Don Cristobal Coris, governor of the pueblo of Santo Domingo and principal war chief of the Queres nation, Don Luis Conitzu, governor of the pueblo of San Diego de los Xemes, Don Felipe Chistoe, governor of the pueblo of Los Pecos , Don Luis Romero, governor of the pueblo of San Buenaventura de Cochiti, Don Juan Pacheco, governor of the pueblo of San Geronimo de los Taos, Francisco Enexenoe, governor of the pueblo of Nambe, Don Antonio Cossio, chief of the pueblo of Tzia, and Don Felipe and Don Joseph, governors of the pueblos of Santa Ana and Penol de Acoma.

The others who were unable to speak Castilian said the same thing through their interpreters. The following were witnesses of all that took place there, in the manner described: the aforesaid four senores regidores; the general, sargento mayor, and procurador general, Juan de Uribarri; and Captains Antonio de Aguilera Ysasi, the alguacil mayor, Antonio Montoya, and Antonio Lucero de Godoy; and in testimony of the truth thereof they signed a statement, together with me. As the Indian governors, chiefs, and other captains did not know how to sign their names, I, captain Don Alfonso de Rael de Aguilar, signed for them as their protector-general, and in that capacity I give the present certification in testimony of the truth thereof in this villa of Santa Fe on the tenth day of the month of January of the year 1706. Signed by my name and my customary rubric and those of the senores regidores on ordinary paper, because stamped paper is not to be found in these parts. I attest.

[Signatures].

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