Antonio Narbona was a Criollo, or local person
of Spanish ancestry, born in Mobile in Spanish Louisiana (now Alabama.) He moved
to Sonora in 1789 and became a cadet in the Santa Cruz Company, sponsored by
his brother-in-law, Brigadier General Enrique Grimarest. He was promoted to
ensign in 1793, and later to lieutenant.
Eventually, Narbona supported the independence of
Mexico from Spain in 1821, and was governor of the territory of Santa Fe de
Nuevo Mexico (New Mexico) from September 1825 until 1827. But what he is remembered for by the Navajo people is his invasion of Canyon de Chelly, the heart
of their homeland in what is now northeastern Arizona. At the time it was part of Mexico.
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| Mexico in 1824; wikipedia, creative commons license 3.0 |
Lieutenant Narbona led a troop of soldiers to New
Mexico from Chihuahua province in January 1805 in response to a Navajo raid on a
Spanish military post and nearby settlements. Narbona’s force travelled north
from the Zuni Pueblo, through a break between the Tunicha and Chuska Mountains
(now called Narbona Pass) to attack the Navajo in Canyon de Chelly.
When the Navajo got word of the Spaniards’ approach,
many fled into Canyon del Muerto, the northern branch of the Canyon de Chelly
complex. Scaling a steep rock wall, they took refuge in a shallow cave they had
hidden in to escape other enemies in years past. They believed themselves safe
there.
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| Navajo pictograph of Narbona leading troops in Canyon de Chelly |
The soldiers marched through the canyon, killing
warriors who’d lagged behind to guard their people’s retreat, and taking some
prisoners. In Canyon del Muerto they were taunted by a shrill woman’s voice
calling out, “There go the men without eyes! You must be blind!”
One of the soldiers climbed up the rock wall and
spotted the Navajo in their recessed hideout. Another soldier climbed up
intending to take prisoners. When he crossed the cave threshold a Navajo woman
wrapped her arms around him and threw them both over the edge. Locked together,
they plunged to their deaths hundreds of feet below.
From the canyon floor, the Spaniards began to ricochet
bullets off the roof of the cave while, according to one account, others dashed
out of the canyon, raced around the north rim and shot down at the people in
the cave. Eventually, all were killed except one old man, who lived to tell the
story to other Navajo.
Although Narbona claimed his men had killed 90
warriors plus 25 women and children, the Navajo say the dead were women,
children and the elderly, since most of the men were away hunting when the
troops attacked.
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| Massacre Cave - The Place Where Two Fell Off |
When archaeologists examined the cave a century and a
half later, they found the victim’s bones still lying on the cave floor. The
site is widely known as Massacre Cave today, but the Navajo call it The
Place Where Two Fell Off. They believe it is haunted by spirits of those
who died there.
Lyn Horner is
a multi-published, award-winning author of western historical romance and paranormal
romantic suspense novels, all spiced with sensual romance. She is a former
fashion illustrator and art instructor who resides in Fort Worth, Texas –
“Where the West Begins” - with her husband and one very spoiled cat. As well as crafting passionate
love stories, Lyn enjoys reading, gardening, genealogy, visiting with family
and friends, and cuddling her furry, four-legged baby.
Newsletter: Lyn’s Romance Gazette http://eepurl.com/bMYkeX
Website: Lyn
Horner’s Corner
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