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 |e ^tate of ^onora. 
 
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ISTOTES 
 
 THE STATE OF SONORA 
 
 CHARLES P. STONE, 
 
 I860. 
 
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 ■WASHINGTON: 
 HENRY POLKINHORN PRINTER. 
 
 1861. 
 

B03Sroii.A._ 
 
 The Mexican State of Sonora, is bounded on tlie north 
 by that portion of United States territory, called Arizona, 
 in the jurisdiction of New Mexico ; on the east by the 
 Mexican State of Chihuahua, from which it is separated 
 by the great mountain chain, the Sierra Madre ; on the 
 south by the State of Sinaloa, from which it is separated 
 by the river del Fuerte ; and on the west by the Sea of 
 Cortes, (Gulf of California) and the territory of Lower 
 California. 
 
 The northern boundary line commences on the west, at 
 a point of the Colorado river, twenty miles below the 
 mouth of the Gila river, lat. 32° 29' 44.45" N., long. 
 114° 48' 44.53" W., and runs on a great circle of the 
 earth, southeasterly to the intersection of 31 deg. 20 min. 
 north, and the 111th meridian of longitude west of Green- 
 wich ; thence it follows the parallel 31 deg. 30 min., east 
 to near meridian 108 deg. west ; thence the boundary line 
 runs north, to parallel 31 deg. 47 min., when it again turns 
 east, following that course to the summit of the great chain 
 which is the limit between Sonora and Chihuahua. The 
 eastern boundary line, has never been exactly deter- 
 mined on the ground by the Mexican government ; but it 
 is to be marked along the crest of the Cordillera, which 
 runs nearly south, with occasional deflections from a right 
 line. 
 
The uncertainty which exists as to the exact course of 
 the eastern boundary, makes it extremely difficult to make 
 a calculation of the area of the State. But as nearly as I 
 can at present estimate, it seems to be about eighty thou- 
 sand square miles, all included between the parallels 26 de- 
 grees and 32J degrees north latitude. The State is washed, 
 along its western boundary for more than 500 miles, by the 
 waters of the Sea of Cortes ; and has the advantage of sev- 
 eral large and many small rivers : 1st. The Colorado of the 
 West, which forms a portion of its western boundary, and 
 is navisrable for small steamers for hundreds of miles 
 above its mouth. 2d. The river Yaqui, which, 'rising in 
 the northeastern part of the State, flows nearly the whole 
 length of it from north to south, receives, among others, 
 the waters of the river Mulatos, and empties into the sea 
 some twenty-five miles south of Guaymas. 3d. The Fuerte, 
 forming the southern boundary. 4th. The Mayo, the 
 course of which lies between those of the Fuerte and the 
 Yaqui, where it turns west. 5th. The river Sonora, which 
 rises in the north of the State, east of the middle meridian, 
 flows southerly as far as Ures, the capital, and then turns 
 westerly past Hermosillo, towards the sea, (receiving in its 
 course the little river San Miguel,) which, however, it 
 never reaches, its waters being appropriated for irrigation 
 along its whole course, and those which escape this use 
 being lost in the sand-plains near the coast. 6th. The 
 river San Ignacio, which rises near the northern boundary 
 and the middle meridian, flows south to La Magdalena, 
 and thence westerly past Altar, to sink in the sand-plains 
 of the coast, having first received the waters of the river 
 of Altar, an intermittent stream. 
 
The river Santa Cruz, wliicTi rises in American territory, 
 flows south, west, and north west, re-entering our terri- 
 tory after a course of some fifty miles in Sonora. 
 
 The face of the country presents every possible diversity 
 of appearance and formation. Along the coast, from the 
 mouth of the Colorado to the island of Tiburon, are found 
 vast plains of barren sand, broken only by isolated short 
 ranges of volcanic hills. Proceeding along the coast to 
 the south, spurs from the interior ranges of mountains 
 jut out into the sea, and make a rock-bound coast until 
 you pass below Gruaymas, when the eye rests with pleas- 
 ure on the broad and fertile valleys of the Yaqui and the 
 Mayo rivers, backed by the great mountain mass of the 
 Cordillera in the distance. 
 
 In traversing the interior, one is surprised in passing 
 through long tracts of desert, that there can be a country 
 so sterile and iitterly unproductive ; and the next hour, is 
 astonished at the wonderful beauty and fertility of some 
 broad and well watered valley, which is entered. The 
 foreigner will find himself wondering at the luxuriant 
 crops produced by the imperfect cultivation in use there, 
 and at the broad leagues of excellent lands left uncultiva- 
 ted for want of a little outlay of labor in clearing them 
 and supplying them with the necessary irrigation. It 
 would be hard to find, in any quarter of the globe, more 
 worthless or barren and unreclaimable land than some 
 along the north-western coast, and it would be impossible 
 to find more productive and beautiful agricultural lands 
 than those along the rivers of the south, centre, and east of 
 the State, or richer pasturage, for millions of cattle, than 
 
is afforded by the foot hills of the Sierras, and the rolling 
 hills and plains of the centre and northeast of Sonora. 
 
 Notwithstanding the great extent of sea coast, the State 
 has but one good port, capable of receiving shipping of all 
 classes; in any important number. This is the port of 
 Guaymas, situated in lat. 27 deg. 55 min. 34.46 sec. N., Ion. 
 110 deg. 56 min. 4 sec. W. of Greenwich. This port is per- 
 fectly land-locked, has a safe and deep entrance, affording 
 at low tide five fathoms of water, and is sufficiently spa- 
 cious to meet the requirements of a first class commercial 
 town. The port is divided into what are called the inner 
 and the outer harbor, the first being used by all vessels 
 drawing less than seventeen feet of water, the latter afford- 
 ing good and safe anchorage for ships drawing from four 
 to five fathoms. A good supply of back-water, is furnish- 
 ed by the large but shallow bay of Old Guaymas, which 
 discharges, at each ebb tide, a strong current through the 
 outer harbor. 
 
 Near the mouth of the river Mayo, is the port of Santa 
 Cruz, an open roadstead, where vessels sometime discharge 
 cargo. It is not a harbor. Between the Mayo and Fuerte 
 rivers, there is a small harbor, in what is called the Bay 
 of Ajiobampo ; it is perfectly land-locked, and has deep 
 water and good holding ground; but the entrance is crook- 
 ed, and on the bar, it has, at low tide, only 2| fathoms of 
 water, A few miles northwest of Guaymas, there is an 
 excellent harbor, perfectly land-locked, and affording en- 
 trance and protection to vessels of the largest class ; but it 
 is very small, and cannot shelter more than three or four 
 large ships at a time, if swinging at their anchors. 
 
 What is called the harbor of Lobos, north of the island 
 
 \ 
 
of Tiburon, affords slielter in one part from northerly, and 
 in another from southerly winds; but in no part of the so 
 called harbor, is a vessel safe from all winds. The same 
 remark applies to the "Bay of Pinacater called on the 
 English charts "Adair Bay,'' near the month of the Col- 
 orado river; bntthe anchorage is bad, the bottom being 
 rocky in many places, and there is no protection from 
 westerly winds. This bay has the additional disadvantage 
 of the want of a bold shore ; and as the tides sometimes 
 rise twenty-odd feet above low water mark, vessels are 
 obliged to anchor at a great distance from the dry land- 
 ing. Guaymas must therefore always remain the port of 
 Sonora, for all foreign commerce : and through it must pass 
 all imports destined for that State, and the territory of 
 Arizona on the north. 
 
 The principal cities and towns in Sonora, are Hermo- 
 sillo, Ures, Alamos, Grnaymas, Altar, La Magdalena, and 
 Arispe. 
 
 HEEMOSILLO, 
 
 The first in population and present commercial importance, 
 was originally established as a military station under the 
 name of the " Presidio of Pitied Afterwards it became a 
 pueblo, under the same name, and then was declared a 
 ciudad, or city, under its present name. The population 
 was estimated to be 5,000 at the time of Iturbide's gov- 
 ernment, (1822,) and in 1840 it was estimated at 13,000, 
 including domesticated Indians. In 1850, Yelasco esti- 
 mated it at least 15,000; but from the best sources of 
 information within my reach, while there in 1858-9, I 
 am inclined to think he overestimated it ; for, although 
 the population has undoubtedly diminished, it has not 
 
8 
 
 done so with such rapidity as to reduce it to its present 
 number, which I think does not exceed 11,000 souls, in 
 eluding the resident Indians. 
 
 The city is pleasantly situated on the north bank of 
 the Sonora river, at a point nearly north of Guaymas har- 
 bor, and about one hundred miles distant from it. 
 
 It contains but few public buildings, and these are not 
 large or handsome ; but many of the dwelling-houses 
 are spacious, handsomely built, and richly furnished. 
 Many of the private dwellings of the richer class have 
 gardens and vineyards of several acres in extent at- 
 tached to them, producing, in their season, abundance 
 of figs, pomegranites, oranges, lemons, melons and grapes. 
 The surplus water of the river is skilfully turned through 
 the town in small canals, furnishing an abundant supply of 
 water for domestic purposes, and for irrigating the gardens, 
 orchards, and vineyards, as well as the numerous grain 
 fields on the outskirts of the city. The climate is health- 
 ful and agreeable, excepting during the months of July and 
 August, when, during the day, the heat is excessive; the 
 thermometer sometimes ranging as high as 95 or 100 deg. 
 Farh.; but even in those months, the nights are cool and 
 agreeable, as the sea breeze from the gulf invariably sets 
 in when the sun goes down. Hermosillo receives annu- 
 ally from abroad, through the port of Guaymas, about two 
 millions of dollars worth of foreign goods, which are sold 
 thence to the merchants of the interior towns. These 
 goods consist of cloths, cotton goods, (especially the coarse 
 brown sheetings,) lawns and other goods for dress, hard- 
 ware of every description, iron and steel for all purposes of 
 mining and agriculture, a little machinery, and lumber 
 
from California and the soutliei-n coast. Slie boasts of two 
 steam power flouring mills, several mills worked by horse 
 power, a manufactory of wagons, producing excellent work, 
 and numerous small mechanical establishments in the dif- 
 ferent branches of art. Her vineyards produce, annually, 
 for home consumption, from 1,000 to 1,500 barrels of brandy, 
 and some wine. Above and below Hermosillo, along the 
 river, the lands are exceedingly productive, and yield un- 
 rivalled crops of wheat and corn, and some little sugar. 
 Long trains of wagons are constantly plying between Her- 
 mosillo and Gruaymas, carrying down hides, wheat, and 
 flour for exportation, and bringing back foreign goods. 
 The wheat of this region is the finest I have ever seen ; 
 and it is so highly esteemed in that great wheat-growing 
 country, California, that it is sent there in large quanti- 
 ties to be used for seed ; commanding, in the market of San 
 Francisco, a price 50 per cent, above that of native wheat. 
 The crops are put in in November, and harvested in May; 
 they rarely suffer from rust or smut, but do some years 
 from late frosts in the spring, after the berry has formed. 
 
 u R E s , 
 
 "Which has been the capital of the State most of the time 
 since 1838, is situated in a beautiful portion of the Sonora 
 river valley, 47 miles, by the post road, from Hermosillo. 
 It was founded very early, by the Jesuit fathers, as a mis- 
 sionary station ; and in the Jesuit records of Father Alegre, 
 J find the pueblo of Tires, mentioned in the notes on the 
 year 1646. It seems to have been first occupied as a mis- 
 sion, about the year 1635, by the apostolic priest Father 
 Pedro Mendez, who labored forty years in those regions, 
 
10 
 
 and subjected tribe after tribe of savages to the rules of 
 civilized life. It derives its name from that of the tribe 
 of Indians found there when the missionaries entered. 
 The town is but poorly built, and, for a capital city, is sin- 
 gularly destitute of public buildings. 
 
 The population was estimated at 7,000 in 1850. At 
 present, it hardly rises to half that number. The country 
 along the river, above and below Ures, is picturesque and 
 very productive. The principal crops, are wheat and corn. 
 Some little sugar and tobacco are also produced. Cotton 
 has been successfully grown here, and yielded remarkably 
 well ; but in consequence of the loss of one or two crops by 
 some peculiarity of the season, its culture has been entirely 
 abandoned. Tobacco yields there an abundant crop, and 
 its quality is excellent. 
 
 ALAMO s 
 
 Is a mining town situated between the rivers Mayo and 
 Fuerte, and is (1859) the second place in Sonora in res- 
 pect to population, which amounts to about 6,000 souls. 
 
 Alamos represents a large amount of wealth, drawn from 
 the mines of silver, which abound in the district, and have 
 been successfully worked since about 1690. 
 
 From its situation, far removed from the country of the 
 Apaches, it is free from the attacks of those savages, and 
 industrial pursuits can be carried on in its neighborhood 
 with much more safety than about the towns of the north 
 and centre. 
 
 The mines being abundant and productive, but little 
 attention, comparatively, is paid to other branches of in- 
 dustry ; but there are some extensive and well conducted 
 
11 
 
 ranclios and haciendas, wliicTi supply grains, coarse sugar, 
 beans, beef, and working animals, for the purposes of the 
 district. In times of quiet, and absence of revolution, 
 (wliicli, during the past few years have been but few and 
 short) this district has supplied large numbers of mules 
 and horses for the markets of California. 
 
 G U A Y M A S , 
 
 Or San Fernando de Guaymas, is built close to the waters 
 of the inner harbor of Guaj^-mas, already mentioned, and 
 contained, in 1859, a population estimated at from 2,500 to 
 3,000 souls, supported principally by the foreign commerce. 
 The town is surrounded, on the land side, by high hills, 
 nearly destitute of vegetation ; and from the north, these 
 hills crowd down so abruptly upon the town, as to leave but 
 little room for extension in that direction ; but to the east, 
 west, and southwest, there is abundance of space for a large 
 commercial town. The climate is oppressively hot during 
 the months of June, July, August and September. For many 
 days in succession, the thermometer ranges, throughout 
 the day, at 95 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit ; and, being closed 
 in by dark rocky hills, which absorb the heat of the sun 
 during the day and evolve it after sunset, the nights of this 
 season are almost as oppressive as the days. To add to the 
 discomfort during the summer, there sometimes blow from 
 the north, strong winds ; which, gathering heat and fine dust 
 from the parched plains of the interior, serve to almost suffo- 
 cate every living thing exposed to them. These simooms, 
 which fortunately are not very frequent, drive the inhabit- 
 ants within doors, where — ^ with windows, doors, and shut- 
 ters closed — they suffer intensely from the stifling heat. 
 
12 
 
 During the rest of the year the temperature is very agree- 
 able ; frost occurs in December and January. 
 
 The supply of drinking-water for the town, comes from 
 wells in the outskirts — most of them at least thirty yards 
 deep. The water is slightly tainted with salts, but is very 
 healthful, and after a few weeks' use, the taste is found to 
 be agreeable. Should Guaymas ever become a large town, it 
 will be necessary to construct large tanks for the preser- 
 vation of rain water, and to bring an additional supply 
 from springs some sixteen miles from the harbor. 
 
 The business of importing and selling on commission, for- 
 eign goods, is all in the hands of foreign houses, of which 
 the principal are : one Venezuelan, two Spanish, one Amer- 
 ican, and one German, altogether representing a business 
 capital of perhaps one and a half millions of dollars, and 
 receiving, by purchase and on commission, imports to the 
 amount of from $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 annually of goods 
 from foreign ports and those of the west coast of Mexico. 
 To meet the value of the imports, there are shipped, princi- 
 pally, silver and gold bullion to Europe and California; flour 
 for the supply of Mazatlan, San Bias, Manzanillo, Colima, 
 and Acapulco ; wheat, copper and hides, to California. There 
 are owned, in Guaymas, and constantly employed in the 
 trade there, two barks and two large schooners, besides 
 many small coasters, of an aggregate tonnage of probably 
 fifteen hundred or two thousand tons, which are all 
 employed in traffic between Guaymas, San Francisco, and 
 the ports of the west coast. The heavy imports are usually 
 direct from England, and come in English bottoms. 
 
 The export of flour, probably reaches twenty or 
 twenty-five thousand barrels per annum, and of wheat, in 
 
13 
 
 good seasons, perhaps 20,000 bushels. With diiferent reg- 
 ulations concerning the exportation of mineral ores, a 
 large trade might be carried on there in the ores of copper 
 and silver from localities where it is difficult to reduce 
 them. At present, the exportation of silver ores is prohib- 
 ited by law. Hides, form an important article of export ; 
 but I have been unable to procure any exact information 
 as to the number shipped. The health of Gruaymas is 
 always good. It has once been visited with the cholera ; 
 but with this one exception, it seems to have been always 
 free from epidemics. The residents are sociable with 
 strangers, and very hospitable. 
 
 ALTAR 
 
 "Was established as the military post for the protection of 
 the northwestern missions, about the year 1700. It had 
 but little white population until after the revolution against 
 the Spaniards ; but in the year 1837, gold placers having 
 been discovered in the neighborhood, the population in- 
 creased rapidly, until it reached an estimate of 6,000, 
 including Indians. With the decline of the placers, the 
 population began to diminish ; and it is not now a place of 
 great importance. Near the northern frontier, on the bend 
 of the San Ignacio river, is the now flourishing town of 
 "La MagdalenaP Of but little importance before the acqui- 
 sition of Arizona by the United States, and known only 
 for its annual fairs and its exposed position to the attacks 
 of the Apache Indians, it has, since 1853, rapidly im- 
 proved in appearance and condition, as well as in popu- 
 lation; and an active trade exists between this town and 
 the settlements of Arizona, which draw from Magdalena 
 
14 
 
 tlieir principal supplies of corn, flour, beef, &;c. The pop- 
 ulation appeared to me to be about 2,000 in 1859, and 
 several merchants tlicre seemed to be doin-j; a thrivins: 
 business. 
 
 ARISPE 
 
 AY as, in the time of the Spanish rule, the capital of the 
 province, and continued so through the government of 
 Iturbide ; and in 1822, cootained more than 2,000 inhabi- 
 tants. Now, it hardly contains 600 souls. It is delight- 
 fully situated on the Sonora river, in the midst of a fertile 
 country, and surrounded by excellent pastures and mines 
 of silver; but the country far and near, is devastated by 
 the Apaches, who approach without apparent fear, to the 
 town itself, and strip the pastures of all the cattle and 
 horses which come in their way. For this cause, the pop- 
 ulation has steadily diminished ever since its abandonment 
 as the capital. 
 
 This was the point selected by President Buchanan for 
 the principal military station of troops of the United States 
 which he recommended Congress to establish in Sonora, to 
 give protection against the hostile Indians. As soon as his 
 message was published in Sonora, Arispe was, by the 
 Governor, again declared the capital of the State. But it 
 would be highly dangerous for the Governor to attempt 
 to visit his new capital, without an escort of at least fifty 
 of his best soldiers. 
 
 Allowing liberally for the population scattered through 
 the villages, mines, haciendas, and ranches, the white and 
 mixed population of Sonora cVnnot exceed 60,000 souls. 
 
 The Indian population is large, and, properly regulated, 
 
15 
 
 would be exceedingly useful. As it is, the labor of the 
 State, in mines and agriculture, is really performed by the 
 Indians. Of these, the most numerous tribe is that of the 
 Yaquis. This tribe now occupy the same territory in 
 which they were found by the Spaniards in the year 1853, 
 when Diego de Guzman* made an excursion among them, 
 seeking captives to enslave. Guzman, who had been, 
 accustomed to instantly putting the Indians to flight, on 
 his appearance among those of Sinaloa, was astonished to 
 find these people forming in squadrons to oppose him, and 
 in the first engagement he had two of his men. and ten of 
 his horses wounded. He retired from the Yaqui river, 
 without gaining a single captive. An attempt was made 
 by the Spanish captain, Martinez de Hurdaide, about the 
 year 1609, to bring the Yaquis to terms by force of arms. 
 This he three times attempted, with ill success, losing each 
 time a large number of his men, and being obliged each 
 time to retire from their country.f 
 
 Bight years later, the Jesuit priests, Fathers Rivas and 
 Basilio, went among the Yaquis accompanied only by a 
 few friendly Indians, and in the course of very few years 
 gathered the entire nation, which could then assemble 
 from eight to ten thousand fighting men, and must have 
 numbered from 40,000 to 50,000 souls, into towns which 
 they established along the river ; and reduced them all to 
 civilization and Christianity. From that day to this, the 
 Yaqui Indians have retained their pueblos, or towns, along 
 their river, governed by chiefs of their own tribe, appointed 
 by the Spanish and Mexican governments. 
 
 *Buckinghara Smith, " CoLjreccioa de Documentos," published 
 1857, Madrid, pp. 95, et seq. ' 
 
 t Rivas, Historia de los Triunfos de la fe, Madrid, 1645. 
 
16 
 
 The towns are, counting from the coast up the river, 
 Belen, near the mouth, Suiviris, Rahun, Potam, Bicam, 
 Torin, BarAim, Cocori ; the last being near the mountains. 
 The Yaquis have, from the earliest time, been exceedingly 
 jealous of all whites, and have looked with displeasure on 
 the residence of any in their towns, excepting always the 
 Catholic priests, who are highly respected by them, as a 
 class from whom they have always received kindness and 
 benefits, and never injuries. 
 
 The lands of the Yaqui valley, are unsurpassable for 
 beauty and fertility. Nearly every crop known in Amer- 
 ica, from sugar and coffee, to corn and wheat, can be raised 
 ' with success ; one crop each year growing from the supply 
 of water furnished the soil by the annual freshets, and one 
 more can be raised by a little care in irrigating. 
 
 Formerly, large herds of cattle, bands of horses, and 
 immense flocks of sheep, were to be found near these 
 Indian towns ; and a single mission on the river was pos- 
 sessed, during the last days of the Spanish rule, of more 
 than forty thousand shetp and goats. But the frequent 
 wars which have been made upon them during the past 
 forty years, have nearly destroyed the cattle and sheep. 
 During the war of 1857-8, thousands of cattle and sheep 
 were driven off by the State troops, and sold in the upper 
 country. 
 
 From that time to this, there has been almost continuous 
 war between the Yaquis and the State authorities; and 
 the condition of the towns must be very miserable. These 
 Indians arc not only the most numerous, but are the best 
 laborers in the northwest of Mexico. They are of good 
 stature, strongly built, and well made. They form the 
 
17 
 
 great body of farm laborers, workers in tbe mines, porters 
 and longsboremen in the ports, and pearl-divers in tbe 
 gulf. The usnal price of their labor, is from four to six 
 dollars per month, with a ration of corn. It is difS.cult 
 to form an estimate of their numbers, since from their 
 manner of living, it is not easy to find out the populations 
 of the towns, and there are at all times many thousands 
 scattered through the State as servants, miners and labor- 
 ers, I think they may number in all, perhaps twenty thou- 
 sand, including women and children, notwithstanding the 
 great losses they have sustained in the late wars. In the 
 year 1740, when an insurrection occurred among them, 
 they presented a mass of ten thousand fighting men for 
 giving battle to the Spaniards. In the conflicts following 
 this rising, they are said to have lost five thousand men 
 left dead on the fields of battle.'^ 
 
 The origin of the name "Yaqui," is thus given by 
 Father Eivas, the first priest who went among them : ''It 
 happened to me, when I entered this country, they came 
 to see and welcome me according to their custom ; and 
 they spoke in so loud a tone, that I, being surprised, and 
 deeming it a token of arrogance unusual' among the 
 nations I had visited, said to them, in order to moderate 
 this arrogance, that it was not proper for them to speak 
 in that rough tone, when coming peaceably to salute the 
 priest who came to teach them the word of Grod, * * * 
 Their reply was : 'Dost thou not see that I am a SiaquiV 
 and this they said, because the word anct name Hiaqui sig- 
 nifies one who speaks in shouts ^ 
 
 The Mayo Indians, occupy towns on the river of the 
 
 * Velasco. 
 
18 
 
 same name. They were first reduced by the Jesuit priest 
 Father Pedro Mendez, in the early part of the 17th centu- 
 ry. They were from the first a docile and laborious peo- 
 ple, given to agriculture, and raising considerable crops 
 of Indian corn at the time of the entry of the Spaniards. 
 Their name comes from their position, and means in their 
 own language boundary, they having been bounded on 
 both sides by hostile tribes, and kept confined within 
 their boundaries. Father Mendez assembled them in 
 towns, and these towns they still hold, named Santa Cruz, 
 (near the sea,) Echojoa, Guitajoa, Cuirimpo, Nabajoa, Nezia, 
 Canamoa (or Camoa) Conicari, and Macollagui. The num- 
 ber of these Indians does not probably exceed 10,000 or 
 12,000. From long continued intercourse -vNdththeYaquis, 
 they have become very like them in their habits, customs, 
 and hates, and they have sometimes joined the Yaquis in 
 their wars against the whites. In the early days of Span- 
 ish occupation, they were anxious to have the whites 
 among them, and encouraged their imigrationto their lands. 
 The Onavas and Opata Indians, occupy towns east and 
 southeast of Ures ; they, like the two preceding tribes, were 
 christianized'in the early days of Spanish occupation, at 
 which time they occupied the whole western slope of the Si- 
 erra, from the headwaters of the Sonora river to Nuri, near 
 the Yaqui towns. They were then esteemed different 
 tribes in different localities, and are named in the old re- 
 cords as Johas, Tequimas, Teguis and Coguinachies. Now, they 
 are few in number, and more given to service in the army 
 than to labor on the farms and in the mines. Yet, in 
 times of peace, they are laborious and industrious in culti- 
 vating their fields. Until within a few years, they have 
 
19 
 
 formed an important portion of the troops of Sonora, and 
 they have rendered signal services against the Apaches ; 
 but they are now at war with its government. 
 
 The Ceris are a peculiar tribe of Indians^ occupying 
 the island of Tiburon and the neighboring coast. 
 
 They are yet in a perfectly savage state, and live solely 
 by fishing and hunting. Having been at war with the 
 whites from the time of the first missions, they have 
 become reduced in numbers to about 300, counting some 
 eighty warriors. They are of large stature, well made and 
 athletic. In war, and in the chase, they make use of poi- 
 soned arrows, the woimds from which are almost always 
 fatal. In preparing the poison, it is said they procure the 
 liver of a deer or cow, and by irritating rattlesnakes and 
 scorpions with it, cause it to be struck by a great many 
 of these reptiles. They then hang up the mass to putrify 
 in a bag, and in the drippings of this bag they soak their 
 arrow heads. I cannot vouch for the truth of this state- 
 ment, but it is current in Sonora. I was informed by a 
 gentleman in Hermosillo, that one of his servants, who 
 was slightly shot by a Ceris' arrow, died quickly from the 
 effect of the wound, (which mortified almost immediately) 
 in spite of the best medical treatment. Their language is 
 gutteral, and very different from any other Indian idiom 
 in Sonora. It is said that on one occasion, some of these 
 Indians passed by a shop in Guaymas, where some Welsh 
 sailors were talking, and on hearing the Welsh language 
 spoken, stopped, listened, and appeared much interested ; 
 declaring that those white men were their brothers, for- 
 they had a tongue like their own. They are very filthy- 
 in their habits, and are said to be worshippers of the> 
 moon. 
 
20 
 
 THE PAPAGOKS 
 
 Are a tribe of Indians occnpying the northeastern fron- 
 tier of the State, and were formerly called the lower Pimas. 
 They live principally by hunting, and sometintes pnrsue 
 their game near Hermosillo, and between there and Goay- 
 mas. They are very warlike, and are bitter enemies of 
 the Apaches, from which cause they have of late years 
 been very useful to the whites. These Indians were visi- 
 ted in 1687, by the Jesuit priest, Francisco Eusebio Kiihn, 
 (called, in the Spanish, Kino,) who established missions and 
 towns among them, gathered them into communities, and 
 taught them civilization and Christianity, He obtained an 
 order from the audience of Guadalajara, that his neophytes 
 should not be enslaved by the Spaniards, either in the 
 mines or on farms, for five years after their conversion ; 
 and this term was afterwards prolonged to twenty years. 
 So long as this order was enforced, these Indians advanced 
 rapidly in civilization; but this remarkable man, who, 
 alone braved the dangers of long journeys through So- 
 nora, to the Gila and Colorado rivers, who preached and 
 taught the gospel and arts of civilization to the Papagoes, 
 Apaches, Pimos, Yumas, Cocopas, and Maricopas, estab- 
 lishing missions and villages along the whole length of 
 the Gila, where the troops of the King dared not enter, 
 except in numerous force, died in 1710, and his neophytes 
 were left to the mercy of the speculators of the day. In 
 spite of the protestations of the few priests left behind him 
 in the missions, by Father Kiihn, the tamed Indians were 
 forced into the mines, and to excessive labor on the planta- 
 tions ; and soon roused to insurrection, the Papagoes drove 
 the whites from among them. From that time to the pre- 
 
21 
 
 sent, excepting a slight reTolntion in 1840, they have con- 
 tented themselves with the independence of all Spanish 
 and Mexican gover:inT" :_ _ vre always enjoyed, in 
 feet, and have been willing to recognize the Mexican gov- 
 eroment so long as it does not interfere with, them in their 
 own conntry. Fortonately for them, the conntry they 
 occupy is not very valnable for agricnltnral pnrposes, and 
 I believe they do not object to the whites searching for 
 minerals there. 
 
 The great scourge of Sonora, do not make their residence 
 in irreat nnmbers within the limits of the State. 
 
 The tribes or bands which mc^ frequently enter to com- 
 mit depredations, are the Mescaleros, the Gilenos, the 
 Pinah, the Goyoieros, and the CMricaguis. A 11 these 
 bands live within United States territory, and only enter 
 Sonora for pnrposes of plunder, or to fly pursuit from the 
 American troops. In the time of Spanish rule, when res- 
 pectable garrisons were kept np, and while the missions 
 were maintained, the Apaches were kept at -bay by the 
 exertions of the troops, aided by large bands of the mis- 
 sion Indians. Their depredations were then mostly con- 
 fined to small attacks on the extreme frontier settlements, 
 and the frontier was then along the Gila river and the 
 San P^ro. But when the J^niits' expulsion was after- 
 wards followed by a partial breaking np of the missions 
 the whites lost the support of many bands of friendly 
 Indians, and the Apaches soon carried on their campaigns 
 down to a new frontier, embracing Arispe, Eronteras, and 
 Xa Magdalena. This was followed by a retiring of the 
 larger populations southward; and the Apaches have 
 
steadily encroached on the territory of the State, until 
 now, they kill, destroy, and rob, as far south as the vicinity 
 of Guaymas. During my residence in Sonora in 1858-'9, 
 a band of these savages drove off cattle and killed a herds- 
 man within ten miles of the port, and I myself have pur- 
 sued them within forty miles of that town. It is melan- 
 choly to behold this conquest of civilization by savages 
 in this century, and to pass through beautiful valleys 
 known to have been once teeming with the wealth of a 
 civilized population, and now evidently capable of main- 
 taining thousands of families, to find them a solitude, and 
 with nothing to mark their past prosperity, but the crumb- 
 ling walls of the dwellings of their former occupants, and 
 the nearly obliterated marks of lost cultivation. 
 
 A single mission, that of Cocospera, at the time the Jesuits 
 had charge of the missions, branded in one year 10,000 
 head of horses and cattle, the increase of that year ; and 
 possessed, at the same time, many thousands of sheep and 
 goats. Now, not a hoof exists there, and the horses of a com- 
 pany of cavalry, should one be stationed there, would hardly 
 be safe from the attacks of the Apaches. 
 
 The mission of Matape, once selected from its herds 800 
 milk white bulls, and sent them to Guadalajara ; now, a car- 
 avan, guarded by 20 Mexican soldiers, is not safe half a 
 mile from the centre of Matape. A single rancho in the 
 north, once boasted of thirty thousand head of horned cat- 
 tle ; now, the buildings are gone to decay, and not a do- 
 mestic animal is to be found there. 
 
 I have known, within the past two years, cattle and 
 horses to be driven off in large numbers, within a few 
 miles of Hermosillo ; and am informed that during the last 
 
23 
 
 spring, a higli officer of tlie State, traveling witTi an escort 
 between Ures and Arispe, was attacked by the Apaches, 
 lost all his baggage and animals, and was himself saved 
 only by the speed of his horse. 
 
 The Apaches enter the State from the northeast, in bands 
 of from fifty to three hundred. Breaking up into small 
 parties of from six to twelve, a district is assigned to each 
 party. They carefully reconnoitre the ranchos during the 
 first week of the moon, and ascertain where the best and 
 fleetest broken horses are kept ; this ascertained, they take 
 advantage of the full-moon, seize the well broken and fleet 
 horses, mount them themselves, and having thus secured 
 good mounts, and deprived their enemies of them, they 
 collect all the stock of the place, and whirl it away to an 
 agreed upon point of rendezvous, where the whole band 
 will soon be assembled; and with the collected plunder, all 
 push rapidly to the mountains, and by difficult and dan- 
 gerous passes, regain their homes.* They rarely attack 
 armed men unless obliged to do so in securing +,heir plun- 
 der, or when they have great superiority of numbers ; but 
 once engaged, they struggle desperately, and never give 
 or expect quarter. 
 
 They always endeavor, during their raids, to capture 
 women and children ; these they do not generally kill, 
 but retain in captivity, making slaves of the women, and 
 
 *In June, 1859, a large band of these savages from near the Gila, 
 entered Sonora. When passing the mail stage station, at Dragoon 
 Springs, they stopped and held a talk with the station keeper. The 
 chief said, jokingly, that he was going down to drive up stock from 
 the great "Apache Rancho,'" Sonora. That there they allowed the 
 Sonorans to live, simply for the purpose of raising and herding stock 
 for the Apaches. 
 
24 
 
 bringing up the children, if taken young, in their own 
 habits ; some of the boldest and most desperate of their 
 warriors, are the sons of their enemies, thus captured in 
 childhood. 
 
 The tribes which I have thus hurriedly described, em- 
 brace all now in Sonora, excepting a few of the Co-co-pa 
 nation, who live along the banks of the Colorado. These 
 are described in the report of Lieut. Milcher, to be found 
 in Emory's report of the Mexican Boundary Commission. 
 The records of the Jesuits name many other tribes and 
 nations, such as the Nehomes, Guaimas, Sobaypuris, Nures, 
 Tires, &c,; but these were often only separate villages of 
 the same nation, and in the other cases, the small tribes 
 have become merged in the nations which have been 
 described. Counting all the Indians within the State 
 limits and outside the white pueblos and cities, I do not 
 think their numbers can exceed 60,000 ; so that the entire 
 population of the State, counting whites, those of mixed 
 blood, civilized, half civilized, and barbarous Indians, will 
 not exceed one hundred and twenty thousand — or 1 5-10 
 inhabitants to each square mile of territory — and I am 
 inclined to think this estimate considerably too high to 
 be sustained by a careful census. 
 
 From my own observations, and from the best informa- 
 tion I was able to obtain while in Sonora, I estimate that 
 there are at least six millions of acres of the best possible 
 quality of arable land within the State, with water for 
 irrigation at convenient distance. There is more than the 
 same quantity of land suitable for cultivation, but requir- 
 ing the outlay of capital and labor to make it available. 
 One-third of the whole territory may be looked on as 
 
25 
 
 valueless for agricultural or grazing purposes, and tlie 
 balance, or say twenty millions of acres, is available for 
 grazing purposes. 
 
 Great as the agricultural resources of the country are, 
 there is no doubt but that the mineral resources are greater. 
 Commencing at the south, are found the silver mines of 
 Alamos and Yayoreca, which have been successfully 
 worked from 1690 to the present day, and now yield 
 abundantly of rich ore. Between the Mayo and Yaqui 
 rivers are the rich silver veins of Yayoreca ; on the Eio 
 Chico, a branch of the Yaqui, on the slopes of Great 
 Sierra, is the district of Trinidad, abounding in mines of 
 silver, copper, and lead. At San Marcial, seventy-five 
 miles northeast of Guaymas, silver mines are worked in 
 spite of the frequent raids of the Apaches, and revolu- 
 tions of the Yaquis. At San Xavier, in the same direc- 
 tion, there were formerly many silver veins worked with 
 enormous yield; and even now, although the Apaches 
 almost possess the district, the silver veins are worked 
 with some degree of success. In the neighborhood of 
 Oposrira, there are a large number of valuable veins of 
 silver, some of which have been opened and successfully 
 worked, but all of which are now, and have long been, 
 given up from fear of the Apaches. Along the river 
 Sonora, there are many mines, abandoned for years past, 
 because they cannot be worked in safety. One of these 
 was re-opened in 1858, but the son of the owner and his 
 servants were killed by the Apaches almost at the outset, 
 and the workings were immediately abandoned. 
 
 North of La Magdalena, are the famous mines of the 
 planchas de plata, from which were taken, during the 17th 
 
26 
 
 century, lumps of native silver, a number of whicli weigh- 
 ed 600 pounds each. One mass was found, about 1770, 
 which weighed, according to the Jesuit records, 3,500 
 pounds. Numerous attempts have been made during the 
 present century to re-occupy this region. In 1817 an ex- 
 pedition of 200 men was started for the purpose, but they 
 failed to find the place. The famous expedition of the 
 French Count, Eaouset de Boulbon, in our own time, was 
 formed with the view of getting possession of this mine. 
 General IJlanco, about the same time, with a large force, 
 examined 'the district where the treasure was supposed to 
 exist, but while he found and denounced a number of rich 
 silver veins, he failed to find the masses of pure silver. 
 
 In the Jesuit records of the middle of the last century, 
 I find the following : 
 
 "In 1730, there was discovered near the garrison of 
 Pimeria, a mine, from which was taken, in a short time, a 
 quantity of silver so great, that the inhabitants of New 
 Spain were astonished; and it was doubted whether it was 
 a mine or a hidden treasure of the Indians." 
 
 But silver is not the only precious metal found in So- 
 nora. On the river Mulatos, a gold mine is now worked 
 with great success. The metal is found in a vein of de- 
 caying quartz, and is of very high standard. Gold is 
 worked also in veins near Barajita, on the road from Her- 
 mosillo to La Magdalena. These ores produce a steady 
 result, but are not what would be called rich in Califorma. 
 In the same region, further west, large quantities of 
 gold were discovered about the year 1800, in placers ; the 
 gold was scattered over the surface of the ground in nug- 
 gets from the size of a mustard seed up to that of a large 
 pea, and hundreds of lumps were found, weighing from six 
 
27 
 
 and eight ounces each, to two hundred and sixteen ounces. 
 In a few years, all the gold on the surface was picked up,-^' 
 and some excavations were made in which gold was found 
 disseminated through the soil ; but as the placers were far 
 from running water, the labor of transporting the dirt sev- 
 eral leagues to water was too great to make the workings 
 profitable ; and they were finally abandoned, after having 
 produced some millions of dollars in gold. 
 
 Gold is found along the courses of the :^lulatos and So- 
 nora rivers, and on some portions of th^^aqui. 
 
 Copper ores abound in the State— some of them rich. 
 In the northwestern part, several varieties are found, in- 
 cluding the carbonate, red oxide, and sulphuret. 
 
 Near Nacosari are nuii^erous veins of excellent copper 
 ore ; also along the Yaqui, below the mouth of the Mu- 
 latos, and in the mountains north of Hermosillo. 
 
 Zinc is found between the rivers San Miguel and Sonora. 
 Rich veins of lead in the neighborhood of Matape, and along 
 the western slope of Sierra, and sulphuret of antimony in 
 large quantities in various parts of the State. 
 
 I am satisfied that could the Apaches be conquered, and 
 population and capital introduced into Sonora, a just and 
 wise government maintained, nnd guarantees furnished to 
 labor and capital, this State would quickly rival Califor- 
 nia in the amount of her mineral productions, and would 
 soon outdo the best stock-raising States of our own 
 country, in the production of horses, mules, and horned 
 cattle, 
 
 TO EECAPITULATE. 
 
 The State has an area of say 80,000 square miles. Of 
 this area, more than one-fifth is susceptible of cultivation. 
 
28 
 
 More than one-tliird is good grazing land, and full one- 
 third is valueless for agricultural or grazing purposes. 
 
 The population is not more than 1,, persons of all ages, 
 sexes, and colors, to each square mile of territory. 
 
 One-half the territory is ravaged by the hostile Apaches, 
 almost without attempt at defence on the part of the in- 
 habitants. 
 
 The richest portion of the State is occupied by civilized 
 Indians, i"n almost constant revolution. Nevertheless, the 
 State produces from three millions to five millions annu- 
 ally of the precious metals, and sufficient breadstuflfs to 
 supply the population and furnish a considerable amount 
 for export. 
 
 She possesses, in her different districts, soil and climate, 
 suited to the production of almost every grain and fruit 
 known in America. She would be able, if administered 
 by a strong and just government, affording protection to 
 life, property, and industry, to multiply her mineral pro- 
 ducts at least ten times, and her agricultural products 
 almost indefinitely. She possesses a port advantageously 
 situated for supplying imports to all her own territory, as 
 well as that of eastern Chihuahua and Arizona; and that 
 port, it will be seen by a glance at the map, is the easiest 
 one on the Pacific coast to be reached by a railway from 
 the Gulf States of our country. 
 
 One day these resources and advantages will be devel- 
 oped and enjoyed ; but such a consummation cannot be 
 attained until a strong government shall rule the destinies 
 of Mexico. 
 
 "Washington, D. C, December, 1860. 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESI 
 
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