| A CHRONICLE WRITTEN IN 1610 AD BY THE SPANIARD GASPAR de VILLAGRA DESCRIBES HIS OBSERVATIONS OF EVENTS IN THE PUEBLO REGIONS OF NEW MEXICO THAT APPEAR TO BE DEPICTED IN EARLIER (1300/1400 AD) FIGURATIVE MURALS FROM KIVA WALLS AT POTTERY MOUND, NEW MEXICO. |
| THE FOLLOWING IS A PRESENTATION OF SOME OF THE CHRONICLE AND SOME OF THE IMAGERY SEEN FROM PAINTED WALLS AT AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IN NEW MEXICO-USA |
It looks narrative to me... I now leave it to the reader/viewer Paul T. Kay, Denver CO |
| Pottery Mound-Kiva 7. Top- field drawing. The other two are insitu field photos. “Coming with a numerous and well-armed force, they advanced in two mighty columns…in the center came their immense baggage train, their tents, and the brilliant banners…” “…and numberless multi-colored banners and standards.” de Villagrá |
de Villagra's remarks--- |
| "... This is a very ancient and original custom , which we have found, prevails among all the peoples and nations of the Indies that we have discovered..." |
| Evidently, what Villagra witnessed was a continuum of tradition that had been recorded earlier upon some of the Kiva walls at what we call Pottery Mound. PTK, Denver 7/23/06 |
| I have re-typed the significant entries from from de Villagrá for clarity, from pages 43 and 44 of the Espinosa translation “Coming with a numerous and well-armed force, they advanced in two mighty columns…in the center came their immense baggage train, their tents, and the brilliant banners…” “In like manner, the heavy, well-formed squadrons, terrible in their fierce and numerous array, yet showed a gay and noble appearance. Some sought to resemble the fierce and noble lion, dressed in the skin of that most royal beast; others covered themselves with the skins of striped tigers, or with the habit of the gray and hungry wolf; others appeared as hares, timid rabbits, great fish, eagles and every other animal: in fact, every form of life that walks, swims or flies was there, represented in most natural form. This is a very ancient and original custom which, we have found, prevails among all the peoples and nations of the Indies that we have discovered.” “Their arms were very efficient and warlike. They carried well bent bows, with wide and strong quivers filled with long, slender arrows; heavy war axes… (and) beautifully fashioned and adorned shields, and numberless multi-colored banners and standards.” |
posted 7/23/06 |
