27 We took breakfast and crossed the Rio Dell Nort
and travelled over a vary sandy road to Islata and we
called upon Juan Reylocero the old Patraarch [patriarch] of the Place
He was the head man of Islata A M Tenney had called

upon him 3 years ago He was 80 years of age, but a vary
smart able bodied man He seemed glad to see us He had
been persecuted by the Catholic Priest because he had Enterta[in]ed
the Mormons before but He was a vary independent minded man
He told the Priest He had as good a right to injoy his
opinion or chuse his company as He had said He had done
what his conciene [conscience] told him was right & He was satisfied
He was a man of the most wealth & influence of anyone in the
Place. He had 9000 sheep 75 Brood Mares, 400 Head of
cows & oxen 50 Brood Asses & a quantity of Mules
and a large ranch to keep them on worth $8000 dollars
and $25,000 worth of real Esstate besides many houses
in the village. Islata Numbered 3000, And these Islatas
are a vary strange people compaired with any other American
Indians. They have kept their Blood pure & separate from
all other tribes & People for generations All their women
and girls were virtuous and the most reserved people to
be found on the continent of America. They do not permit
any white men to go into the presence of their wives & daughters
if they can help it. They were so afraid of Brs Tenney &
Smith when they went to visit them several years ago
they came near starving before they were permitted to enter
into their houses But when they proved Br Tenney thoroughly
He was permitted to go any whare among them On our arival
we were vary kindly received By the whole village They
are vary clenly intelligent & Industrious. They are capable
of receiving any principle of Intellig[enc]e that any white
man is. They have some women & girls a[mo]ng them as

Handsome as can be found in America execpt the colors
I could hardly believe I was visiting the Indian race. They
were the hardiest laboring men I Ever was acquainted with
they had one field of corn East of their city runing up & down
the river 10 miles long 1 mile wide & could not find a weed
in 100 acres it was cultivated in the highest order they
had 21 grape vineyards bordering upon their city
containing 1000 vines to each vineyard these 21000 vines
were cultivated & pruned to Perfection and while I was there
they were loaded with much Lucious ripe fruit as well
as fine Apple Pear & Peach orchards all the grape vines
in the fall of the year are pruned and then covered with
Earth in the form of a sugar loaf which is an immens
amount of Labor. This old Patriarch gave us a room
facing the public square and furnished us with and fruit
during our stay. He said the Americans had called them
wild men He said if they were they were virtuous He
said among them for generations had been Death
to any man who committed adultery, or seduced
a wife or Daughter among them and it was vary
seldom ever Done But when the Americans came they
bring Christian Civilization with them and whordom
& corruption and now if a man was put to death for
seduction the Christian would call it murder and hang us
for it. Their Annual feast comes off tomorrow in their
village Hence People of all the surrounding contry for many
miles are coming into town to day By Every conveyance in
carriages, waggons, with Horses, oxen, mules, & asses and on foot

When we got our things into our room we dedicated
it to God and Dedicated ourselves And I felt thankful that
the old Gentleman received us so kindly He said He had
a right to Enjoy his own religion and no man should
take that right from him. None had as yet Been baptized
in this Nation but many were vary friendly to us we visited
Mrs Paseval Aviela a large fine inteligent woman with a
fine house fine carpets. She received us kindly. She set before
us Mellons, Peaches, Pears & grapes I kissed her youngest Boy
7 years old a fine lad. She seemed much Pleased after some
conversation with her. She asked to call tomorrow
we then visited another man & wife with a fine house
and carpets with side seats covered with Navajoe
Blankets worth $16 a peace. She also gave us fruit. Our
room was in the main Public square within a few yards
of the gambling stalls whare some 200 mexicans who had gath-
ered to attend the great feast they commenced gambling &
kept it up all night occosionally would stop and have
a fight and it was a regular Bedlam. The Islatas was
so much above them in their morrals that they retired
to bed about Dark and locked up their houses and let the
Mexicans Do the fighting & gambling. No man woman
or child in Islata is allowed to sweep any dust or dirt
out of their houses into the side walk or street under the penalty
of a fine it all has to be gathered up in baskets & Blankets
and Empted onto Mounds places appropriated for that purpose
in diferent parts of the village, the mound nearest our
room was 150 yards in circumference & 30 feet high all formed

from the sweepings of the Houses it did not look as though
any of it had been carted away for generations there was
other Mounds of a similar kinds in other parts of the city