Fray Pedro Muñoz

Villages

Number of villages scouted on this expedition and Christians made, together with those made on the expedition carried out in the last part of April of this year, 1806. The number of persons is given.

NupchencheThis village has about 250 souls. Twenty-eight Christians were made, 5 old men and 23 old women.28
ChineguisHas the same number of people as the previous one. A single old woman was baptized.1
YunateAccording to a good calculation this village has the same number of persons as those preceding. One old man was baptized.1
ChamuasiHas the same number of persons as those mentioned above. No one was baptized because everyone hid himself at our arrival.
LatelateThis village will have about 200 people. I baptized six old women.6
LachuoIs of the same size as the previous village. The same thing happened as at the village of Chamuasi, for which reason there was no one to whom Holy Baptism might be administered.
PizcacheThis village may contain about 200 people. Four were baptized, two old men and two old women.4
AycaycheThis village will have about 60 souls. Nine were made Christians, one old man and 8 old women.9
Here there are six other villages which could not be investigated. All of them, according to the reports of the inhabitants of this village are of about the same size as Pizcache.
EcsaaThis village has about 100 souls. Fourteen were baptized, 2 men and 12 women, all old, and one of the women in articulo mortis.14
ChiajaHas the same number as the previous village. One old woman baptized.1
XayuaseWill have 100 souls, like the preceding. Nine old women were baptized.9
CapatauThis is a very small village and subject to the chief of the previous village. It will have 9 or 10 people. One old woman was baptized.1
Hualo, VualThis village will have about 400 souls. Two old women were baptized. Discovered on the first expedition.2
TuntacheThis village will have 250 souls. One sick old man was baptized.1
Notonto 1stEight old women and two dying children were baptized in this village on the first expedition. The two children were later found to have died. This village will have about 300 souls.10
Notonto 2ndWill have 100 souls. Two old women were baptized.2
Telame firstThis is the largest of all the villages which have been discovered. It will have, according to a fast count, 600 souls. It was entered by the first expedition and 11 old women and 1 sick man were baptized. He was found by this expedition to have died. On this expedition, the second one, 8 old women were baptized, together with 1 old man and 1 moribund infant. In all there are twenty-two.22
Telame secondIt will have 200 souls. (This village was not seen by the other expedition.) I baptized 6 old women.6
UholasiThis village will have 100 souls. It was discovered on the first expedition. I baptized 3 old women.[3]
EagueaThis village has about 300 souls and was discovered on the first expedition. Ten were baptized, 9 old women and 1 dying man. We found on this expedition that he had died.10
CohochsWill have 100 souls. Eleven old women were baptized.11
ChoynoqueThis is a village of 300 souls. No one was baptized for their terror caused them to flee. However, the warriors who were visible gave us reason to estimate their total number as 300 souls.
CutuchoThis village is close to that called Nupchenche. It will have 400 souls. It was scouted by the first expedition. No one was baptized for everyone had fled.
TahualamneThis village will have 200 souls. No one was baptized because their fear did not permit them to come down from their rocky village as is described on the 13th day of this account.
The total baptisms performed on the two expeditions amount to141
CoyeheteThis is a village of about 400 souls according to the report of the Indians. We did not see it. In addition there are a great many villages which I do not mention because I did not examine them.

Fray Pedro Muñoz

REMINISCENCES OF MEXICAN PIONEERS

The two following selections are taken from reminiscences of old Mexican pioneers, obtained by Alexander S. Taylor in the early 1860’s. The first was published in an unidentified newspaper; the second is handwritten. Both purport to relate experiences of expeditions carried out in 1806 or 1807 (except the Ortega sortie of 1815 described by Olivera). The Olivera account follows the report of Moraga’s 1806 expedition in a general way but departs from the diary of Muñoz in many details. It is likely that the narrator was confusing this with other campaigns in which he was engaged. At any event little reliance should be placed upon his statements.

Both accounts give a lively picture of conditions in the valley at this period, and for such unofficial detail they are of some value.

Diego Olivera’s Account of Moraga’s 1806 Expedition

This account is given in a clipping from an unspecified newspaper, presumably of 1864. The piece has no title. It is included in Alexander S. Taylor’s collection, Discoverers, Founders and Pioneers of California (2:153).