John Gaw Meem at Acoma: The Restoration of San Esteban del Rey Mission

Afterword: A Part of the Environment

235 the mission, a Part of the village figure 94 depicts the Acoma mesa in 1846 from the viewpoint of the U.s. Army camp situated in the plain below the mesa during military reconnaissance by lieutenant J. w. Abert and the U.s. Army corps of topographical engineers. The men under lieutenant Abert’s command were charged with mapping new Mexico. lieutenant Abert also chronicled their travels in narrative form, and the drawing is included in that report. The Acoma site was fascinating to the U.s. soldiers. The description of Acoma begins with their arrival at the mesa from laguna. we were now quite close to our goal, the ultima thule of our advance towards “el sol poniente.” on our right hand, stretching away to the south, is a magnificent “sierra,” that raises its summits several thousand feet, where they mingle with the clouds. from the valley in which we journey huge blocks of sandstone rise, the tops of which are horizontal, and the sides of which reach perpendicularly to the height of 300 or 400 feet above the plain. This sandstone is very hard, it breaks in long prisms, whose angles seemed to resist the rounding influence of the weather. This rock exhibits tints of yellow and of light red. After a journey 15 miles we arrived at “Acoma.” High on a lofty rock of sandstone, such as i have described, sits the city of “Acoma.” Afterword A PARt of the envIRonment 236 aFterword on the northern side of the rock, the rude boreal blasts have heaped up the sand, so as to form a practical ascent for some distance; the rest of the way is through solid rock. At one place a singular opening, or narrow way, is formed between a huge square tower of rock and the perpendicular face of the cliff. Then the road winds round like a spiral stair way, and the indians have, in some way, fixed logs of wood in the rock, radiating from a vertical axis, like steps: these afford foothold to man and beast in clambering up.1 images of Acoma in Abert’s report feature the mesa. The description centers on the site and its geology and is what might be expected from an army reconnaissance mission. The diary entry from that day, october 21, 1846, also describes encounters with people met in the plain between laguna and figure 94: old Acoma from below the mesa. c. b. Graham, 1848. lithograph from Report of Lieut. J. W. Abert, of His Examination of New Mexico, in the Years 1846–47. nMHM/DcA negative 002047, courtesy Palace of the Governors Photo Archive. a Part oF the envIronMent 237 Acoma, and the natural resources and wealth observed through the presence of sheep and other animals and baskets of peaches. The soldiers did climb the rock of Acoma and note the large church and blocks of houses. of the mission there is very little said. They . . . seem to possess a smattering of the roman catholic religion, their dwellings are often crowned with the symbol of the cross; and, as i have already mentioned, one of the first objects that strikes the eye is a large chapel with its towers and bells.2 for the American soldiers in 1846 the mission and church were worth noting, but in the description the church is mentioned last, almost as an afterthought . Abert’s description of san esteban was unremarkable compared with the whole environment and people they observed. in this encounter Abert saw the mission as it was seen by the Acomas, as a part of the fabric of the village . The mission, although a large mass in the landscape, appears as a dominant figure only when it is viewed from across the mesa. but in a one-on-one encounter with the village the mission is perceived in an opposite manner. san esteban was not described as a monument, nor was it described as a ruin in Abert’s report. noticeable, yes, but only as a large object and a remnant of the roman catholic religion. The visit predates early photos, taken first in the 1880s. The description of the encounter is important, for it is a description of the mission as a firsthand experience. the mission set Apart in the landscape earliest photos of the Acoma mission were from the 1880s and 1890s. ben wittick’s early photos such as the...