The
shock of seeing the site where he will be responsible for building a
mission does not wear off as they ride down into the valley the
natives call Comondú.
There is no trail, just a worn-out series of grooves in the stony
earth where game and the Indians have traveled.
Towering
palms and other trees signal the presence of the rarest commodity in
this barren land – water. It bubbles up out of the earth at the
base of a cliff forming a large pool which then turns into a stream
flowing down the valley. The spring is filled with roots and other
plants and there is no doubt that great effort will be needed to
clear it out. The area surrounding it is thick with tall reeds. If
necessary, they can be used to thatch roofs. Father Mayorga looks
around and smiles when one of the converts points out signs of
various animals that have come to drink. He has never hunted an
animal in his life but pays close attention as Father Ugarte has
warned him that being aware of what is around one makes the
difference between life and death. To him and his converts.
“El
Señor Reverendo Padre,
see this?” The guide points to a series of large tracks with
pointed slits in the front. When Mayorga nods, the Cochimi says, “Es
el Tigre, Señor.
She bring babies here to drink. See small marks?”
Mayorga
looks around and wonders if the big cat is nearby.
Seeing
the priest's concern, the Cochimi's lips turn up in a faint smile and
he assures the priest the cat and her cubs are far away. He then
places a finger to his lips and points to a nearby boulder where
something lays in a coil. “Vibora,”
he whispers. “Mordida
veneno.”
Mayorga
holds very still, having learned the snake with rattles on its tail
is not something to be trifled with. He relaxes as the snake lowers
its head, uncoils, and swiftly glides deeper into the rocks.
Father
Ugarte previously surveyed the site and knows exactly where he want
the mission sited. “Our first order of business is to ensure water
to irrigate the crops.” He points to a spot along the stream,
indicating it is where boulders should be placed to hold back the
water so it can be diverted into the irrigation ditches. He then
leads the way about two hundred paces downstream to a place where the
land is elevated above the stream bed.
“Here
is where the chapel, your quarters, and the storehouse will be
built.” He explains how it is safely above the level of water in
the event severe rains in the mountains cause it to overflow its
banks.
Father
Mayorga has learned enough to identify where the gardens will be laid
out as the earth appears less sandy, but not of heavy clay. The area
has a large growth of grasses and he understands some of it must be
cleared away to till the soil. Other grassland must be kept to
provide feed for the livestock Father Ugarte will bring from Misión
San Javier.
The
Ancón,
as the Cochimi call it, is a shelf filled with black, lava rock. Some
of the stones glisten their ebony shades caused by cooling. Andrade,
the guide, grins and shows Father Mayorga his knife made of similar
stone. When offered, the priest carefully tests it with his thumb,
finding the jagged blade quite sharp. One of the things he learned at
the college in Mexico City was the deadly efficiency of native
weapons made of obsidian.
The
mule train contains everything needed to create the mission. But,
there are no hands to do the construction so they can be safely
stored. Father Visitador Salvatierra solves that by ordering all
members of the group to gather rocks and boulders and carry them to a
spot he selects. He draws lines in the hard-packed dirt and trenches
are quickly dug.
The
moon is full in the starry sky and, after a humble evening meal and
prayers, work continues. As soon as the trenches are completed, they
are filled with large boulders, rocks packed into the cracks and then
sealed with mud from the stream banks. Only when the moon lowers and
the night dims do the workers find spots on the sand to nestle into
their sleeping blankets.
A
storehouse stands before them by midday and goods from the packs are
taken inside to be carefully arranged. Stones packed over the wooden
frame strengthen the door and a lock is placed into the hasp to
ensure the goods will be safe from curious hands.
Speaking
of which? Father Julián
gazes around all the while he toils to see if any of the Gentiles
have come to see what the activity is in their valley. Maybe he is
not clear on what to look for, but he sees no signs at all. Had they
not begged the father visitador and Father Ugarte for a mission of
their own?
The
most important steps comes after the goods are safely stored - the
outlining of the chapel. It will be aligned so the door faces the
rising sun. Once that is accomplished, a cairn of rocks is raised
with a plain wood cross on top.
Incense
is used to purify the site as the father visitador swings the
thurible, chanting prayers while he does so. Holy water is then
sprinkled on the spot where the altar will stand and it is announced
the site is dedicated to Saint Joseph.
The
soldiers and neophytes, with the others supervising and lending a
hand, set about leveling the ground and covering it with tightly
packed stones and pebbles, also filling in the trenches to start
construction of the chapel walls.
Poor
Father Mayorga has never dreamed of being a stonemason. Conducting
holy rites and teaching people the mystical beliefs of the church are
what he envisioned when he first decided to take the vows of the
order. Always of ill health, the physical effort of selecting and
carrying stones to the site does not bode well for him and, to his
shame, he must often pause to rest.
The
other fathers and even Captain Rodriguez bend their backs to the
task, setting an example for the soldiers, servants, and neophytes.
Much
to the pleasure of all, two Cochimi women and their children come to
stand apart, watching the newcomers toiling in their area. Father
Mayorga cannot control himself and gazes sideways upon the all but
naked female bodies, agonizing over the unholy lusts overcoming him.
He turns away in shame and mutters prayers begging The Lord God to
forgive him.
He
does not notice both Father Visitador Salvatierra and Father Ugarte
doing the same.
Wood
brought for the purpose is used to frame windows about ten feet high
on the walls, along with the door leading into the chapel and another
smaller one behind the altar area leading into the sacristy. Once
filled with stones, the wood is removed so a form of adobe
can be laid to hold them in place.
Father
Mayorga is surprised at how the other fathers easily form the walls
to be thicker at the bottom, tapering to the top with notches to
support palm logs cut to span the chapel area and support a roof of
palm fronds.
Seven
days pass until the altar is erected, the marble slab brought from
far away Spain uncrated and set upon the stands. Once again, the
incense is used to purify the area along with appropriate prayers and
the crucifix is placed in the arched niche on the wall behind it.
Intricately carved wooden plaques are affixed on the walls for the
Stations of the Cross and a statue of Saint Joseph is placed in a
smaller niche on the southern wall while the Virgin of Guadalupe is
placed in another on the opposite wall.
A
time will come when the interior and exterior walls will be covered
with stucco, but there
is no time for it at the moment.
The
others must depart and Father Mayorga will find himself in that
lonely place with but Private Juan Morales, the soldier assigned to
be his companion and helper. He is fearful, but sets it aside to
strengthen his belief that he and Morales are in God's hands.
Morales
is a Criollo from Guadalajara and has been in California for five
years. He is married, but his wife and two children are staying in
Loreto until the first crops are ready for harvest.
The
first Mass conducted in the chapel of Misión San José de
Comondú by Father Mayorga is
before the two other Jesuits, Captain Rodríguez, and the rest who
have helped start it. Juan Morales acts as his assistant and he is
most pleased the soldier knows the Mass so well that he need not be
instructed in what to do.
Much
to his surprise, the Cochimi women stand in the back of the chapel,
their children clutching their legs. They clearly have no idea what
is happening, but appear to be impressed by the incantations and
ringing of bells.
The
others say their farewells at the end of Mass, each father returning
to their own missions while Captain Rodríguez goes back to Loreto.
“What
do we now, my son?”
Morales
smiles, pleased the father seeks his advice. “We prepare a place
for us to dwell while we take the next steps in making this a
productive place.” He then pointed across the stream. “See. The
Cochimi women do the same.”
The
Indians busily gather limbs cut from acacias, along with twigs to
construct their open-air shelters that only provide shade from the
blazing sun. Cutting their own limbs is far easier and faster with
the sharp steel blade Morales wears on his belt.
They
have barely hauled the wood to where they wish to build their shelter
when the two women approach. The elder says something and Morales
grunts and withdraws. “She says it is her place to do this. Not
ours.”
Mayorga
nods. Although he has not been in the area very long, he has studied
their language with great intensity as it is the only way he will be
able to teach them the things needed to bring them to The Lord.
The
Cochimi language is very simple and Mayorga is in awe of how the
other fathers have been able to translate the catechism and bible
stories into it. The natives have words only for those things they
can see, hear, feel, and smell. Abstract ideas and emotions mean
nothing to them. As an example, a person or persons can be here or
there or far away. When a person dies, they are simply no longer here
or there. If they do not have words for death, how can they
understand the idea of resurrection?
“Come,
reverend father, there is something we should do.”
Mayorga
follows Morales to the storehouse and watches as he selects two
colorful wool blankets, some pretty beads, and two highly polished
pieces of metal that act as mirrors. They wait until the women finish
their new house and follow them to their camp across the stream. The
priest notices the children are gone and smiles when he sees them
return to the new house carrying armloads of wood for a fire.
Following
Morales's suggestions – the soldier would never dare to instruct
his superior to do anything - Mayorga lays out the blankets on the
ground and holds out the beads to the women. They giggle happily and
take them, placing them around their necks. Both are stunned the
first time they see themselves in the mirrors, chattering gaily as
they compare each other. They have only seen themselves reflected in
calm pools of water.
“Will
they understand if I give them Christian names?”
Morales
nods. “You can tell them you are giving them a sign of the all
powerful creator and it will have great meaning to them.”
The
older woman has a scar behind her left ear and Morales explains her
Cochimi name means Marked by Puma. Mayorga remembers Saint Catherine
of Alexandria who had been beheaded at the hands of the pagan emperor
Maxentius. “I shall name you Catarina,:” he tells her,
translating his Spanish into Cochimi with Morales's help. “She was
a woman of great bravery.” He fails to tell her that Saint
Catherine was a virgin.
The
other woman's elbow is unnaturally bent and Mayorga suspects it was
broken and not properly reset. Mayorga ponders at length, trying to
remember a saint who represents the infirm. The only one he can think
of is Saint Amalburga of Belgium whose patronage is for arm pain.
There is no similar name in Spanish and all he can come up with is
Amanda. Morales says it make sense to him and Mayorga signs the cross
on the woman's forehead as he had done for Catarina, announcing she
is now known as Amanda.
The
two women are overjoyed to have been given magical names by the all
powerful man in the strange black covering. They clearly cannot wait
to have their children so blessed with great magic, understanding the
great medicine man must first ponder upon it.
“They
will now stay here forever, reverend father. You have given them your
magic and will follow wherever you go.”
“But,
my son, where are the men? And boys?”
“They
wait in the hills until they see the power of our ways.”
“I
was told they begged Father Visitador Salvatierra to have a mission
here in their lands.”
Morales
chuckles, not meaning to be disrespectful to the priest. “They are
but little children, reverend father. They see new things and wish
them for themselves. But, it is not their way to toil as do we and
will have to find strong reasons to come and work as you and I.”
The
first order of business after the storehouse, chapel, and living
quarters is the zanja,
the vital channel to bring water from the stream to the gardens.
Creating that channel is going to be back-breaking work and Mayorga
wonders if his health will permit him to help the soldier.
Much
to his chagrin, the problem is quickly solved. Once Morales gets the
idea across to the women, Catarina turns and leaves the camp at a
lope. She soon returns with three boys nearing manhood. It is clear
they are hers and the priest explains what needs to be done. The
youths are unhappy, but not about to disobey their mother. Amanda
then runs off, soon returning with her two sons.
With
five pairs of less than willing hands to help, the task of clearing
the path for the trench begins. It cannot be straight due to large
boulders in the way, but Mayorga has an eye for such things and uses
a stick to draw a line in the ground for it to follow.
While
Morales bends his back to show the five youths what to do, the priest
turns to clearing stones and rocks from the plot of land chosen for
the first garden. It will be for planting the Three Sisters, the most
basic foods of a mission; corn, squash, and beans. The rocks and
stones are piled up to outline the plot and earth will fill in the
cracks so the water will soak into the earth before running off to
the next spot downhill where fruit trees will be planted.
There
will be yet one other major project and that will be digging a well
to provide drinking water to those who live at the mission. Even
though the stream flows well, Mayorga has been warned that days may
come when the stream dries up and the only water will come from the
well.
Catarina
and Amanda surprise the two Europeans by their ability to turn
cornmeal into masa
from which to make tortillas. That
is when Mayorga learns they had lived near Misión San
Javier and learned to make food
the Spanish way. Amanda tells Father Mayorga that is exactly why she
and her cousin had come to that place.
Days
pass quickly, both Father Mayorga and Juan seeking their sleeping
places sore and tired beyond belief. The soldier shakes his head in
amazement as the priest forgoes sleep to spend hours deep in prayer.
He is not surprised as all the other Jesuits to the same. They eat
the simplest of food, spends hours laboring or conducting rites, then
the remaining hours of each day in prayer.
How
do they survive in this terrible land?
A
runner comes to announce that Father Ugarte will soon be coming with
livestock and others to help.
