The Segesser H ide

\,\TO ASTONISHIN(I AIITIFAC]]'S

frorn A.r-nerica's Spanish Colo-r-rial past $,ere rcturnecl to Neu'

Mexiccr in 1986, aftcr a 228-yeav sojouru in Sr,r'it-

zerlancl. These artifacts, largc pair-rtings on bisonhicles, are knolr,n as Segcsser I ancl Scgesser II ;rficrthe Srviss fhmily that ownec-l thcm, aud arc thoughtto bc among tl'rc carliest dcpictions of color-rial lifein u,hat is tociat,the Unitccl States. Thcv arc certait-t-

l), ttn',, of thc earliest rcf'rre5gn1,1tions of arnted cou-

flict in Ur-ritec-l States historr,. Overall, tl'rc Segesser

Hicle P;rintir-rgs can be countecl among the most,nol'el ancl importar-rt artifhcts of Spanisl'r Color-rial'historl, in the Unitec] Statcs.

Each painting is com;'rosccl of three bisonhicles scwn togethcr. The subjects of the largc paint-ings are armecl confiontations benvecn late lTth-ancl carlv l8th-centun, Spanish soldicrs ancl theirPueblo incliar-r auxiliarics, and otl'rcq op;rosir-rg Na-tivc Anericarl grollps. In thc case of Segesscr II, thcopposing Native Ar-nericans have thc assistaucc of\\'hat appcar to L-rc European solclicrs in l8th-ccr-r-

trrrv grcnrrrlier ttrrilirrnrs.The trvo hicle paintin€ls were scnt ir-r 1758

b,v Father Pl-rilipp r.on Segesser \rol1 Bruttcgg, a

Itoman Catholic |esuit priest stirtioned in thc Prov-

ir-rcc of Sonora. Mexico) to his brother Ulrich Franz

losef, of Lucerne, Su,itzcrlanc'l ancl u.erc kc1'rt in thcSegesser fhn'rih, fbr the next 200 \rcars. The ir.t'rpttr-

tance of tl're Scgcsser fhmilv paintines n'rrs flrst re.rl-

ized in 1945 bv Clottfiiecl Hotz. Curiltor ofEtl-rnologv of tl-rc North Americi-u't Inc-li:ru Musctu-t't.

Zttrrcl't. H<ltz wrote i-u'rcl prublishec-l a booh ort thchicle paintings that \\/as translatccl iuto English anrl

;rtrblislrecl in 1970 bv the Univcrsitv of OklahotlrrPress. Hotz's book u,as rcPritrtec'l last \,car bv thcMuscnrn of Neu, Mcxico Press turclcr the titlc TlrSegesser Hide Paintinqs: Masterpitccs Depictiw Spmt-

ish ColoninlNet,Mexiro. Lr 1986, the prrintirUls \\'crcloirnccl bi, ,h. Segcsscr fhrnilv to tl'rc Perlace of the

Governors. histon, section of thc Muselttn of Ncu'Mexico, Santa Fd, ancl rvcrc pltrchasec-l itr l9B8 br'

tl'rc Statc of Neu' Mcxico tl'rrough prrivr'ttcclonations ancl an unprcceclerrtccl legislrrtivcap;rropriation.

Segcsscr I, mcasuring 13Vz L1, 4Vz fcct,portre\rs a confiot-rtlrtiot't be tu'e ct-t rr grottp ofrnountecl Nativc Arnericatrs. r,l,ith t$'o ;lpparclttnon-Nativc Amcricans, aud a largc group of tttr-nlouuterl) opr1-rosing Nativc Amcricatrs. Tl-rc scttingis a fbrcstccl, mourrtainous arca, tlte habitat of thcrvilcl anir-nals also clepictecl: L-reaq t't'tountain sl-rcc1-r.

br-rflhlo, antelopc, mountaitr liotr, :Lncl others. Thcconfiontatior-r is thotrgl-rt bt'historians to bc r1n i'tc-

PaintingsRr.vElarrc>Ns Anour rHE Sou-THWEST)s ColctNIAI- PAS-I'

bt, Chnrrles Benmetr

lhe painted hide known as Segesser ll.

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tual cvcnt fiom the Southrvest's colonial past, butthere is uncertainfi/ as to ll'hen the er.'ent took place.

It is generally accepted that the coufrontatiotl tookplacc during a pur-ritivc expedition dispatcl-red fiomthc Palacc of the Gor.crnors, Santa F6, against a

grollp of Plains Apaches. The expcdition consistedof Pueblo Indian auxili:rrics and tw'o Spanish rnili-tary olllccrs.

Native American grollps, includingApaches, Navajos, Comanchcs, and Utes, raicled

the Spanish ar-rc-l Pucblo Incli;rr-r settlcmentsthroughout Ner,v Mexico's colonial periocl (I598-l82l). In retaliation, expcditior-rs fi-om Santa F6,

the Nerv Mexico provincial colonial capital fbr a

vast region that t.rJ.v includes nruch of tl-re South-west) wcrc clirected against thesc groups to punishthem ancl inhibit future raids, anc-l to rcscue womenancl children who had been abducted. It is tl-roughtthat Segesscr I portra\ls one of thc puuiti'n'e fbravs

that took place benvccr-r 1696 ar-rd 1719. Research

has vet to reveal tl-re specific expedition.Thcre are at least three rnissir-rg sections of

Segesser I. According to fhmilv traclition, the larg-

est missing piece, on thc left siclc of thc painting,was deliberatelv clrt out in orcler to nollnt the

painting over a windou' on a r,vall of HuencnbergCastle, a Scgcsser fhmil,v homc ncar Luccrne. IJn-

fbrtunatelr,, the fiagment is probablv lost. Anothersection of the painting, about 40 ir-rches n'ide,sl-rorving a Native A.rnerican tipi village, u'as evi-

dcntlv separated from the rest of the u'ork sonle-

time before l90B anc-l noll' bclongs to another

member of the Segesser extended family group. fu-r

offer l-ras bccn madc bv thc Palace of the Governorsto pr-rrchase this section of the painting. A thirdseglnent also is apparcnth' lost.

Much more is knor,vn about Segesscr II,u'hiclr is 17 feet long and 4t/z feet u,ide. This hide

paintir-rg dcpicts an attack of Natir.'e Americans ancl

Europcans on a camp of Spanish prcsidial (garri-son) soldiers and Pucblo Inclian auxiliaries. Thejru'rction of tivo rivers is obviotts on the right side ofthc work. Historians agree that Segesscr II is a

depictiorr of tl'rc 1720 destruction of tl-rc expeditionof Spanish troops and Puet-rlo Indian auxiliaries lec-l

b1, \g$' Mexico Lieutenant Govcrnor Pcdro c1e

Villasur. The expcclition rcached the conf-luence ofthe Loup and Platte rivers. in present eastern Ne-

braska, w4ren, in an early morning surprise attack,

the cxpedition was virtuallv annihilated. TheVillasur expedition had been dispatched b)' the

Governor of Ncu, Mexico to seek evidence ofFrench intrusion into rvhat was at thc tirne part ofSprin's colonial empire.

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Segesser I Ihe red, irregularly shaped

masses behind the horsemen in this

view of Segesser I are thought to

represent hills. The striations at the top

of the missing section of the parntrng

are thought to be cliffs. These

features, and the fauna depicted,

imply that this encounter took place in

mounlarnous rerratn.

Tl-re expeclitior-r hacl set out fiom the Pal-

acc of the Governors in Santa F6. The con-rplex ofadobe l-ruildir-rgs was the prcsiclio, or garrison fbrt,fbr Ncrv Mexico througl-rout the colonial period.Tl'rc governor and soldiers lived in the large com-

pound, a small portion of u,hich remains star-rcling

today anc-l serves as Ner,v Mexico's state historvnIUSeLll-]r.

During the first decades of the lSth cen-

tur1,, Ne\v Spair-r's northern Province of Nerv Mexi-co had bccome a source of increasing coltsternationto Spanisl-r officials in Mexico Citv. Ncw Mexicohacl just sullbred a major Native American rebcl-lion, the Pueblo Inclian Revolt of 1680, in u,l'ricl-r all

Spanish inhabitants hacl becn fbrciblt, expelled fbr a

period of thirteen years. Bv 1693, Ncr'v Mexico'sGovcrnor don Dicgo cle Vargas frnallv succeeded inresettling the area, but he was impeded in his plar-r

for pacification by constant L-rclian raids anc-l an

unstable internal political climate.New Mexico rvr,s au important link in

Ncw Spain's northern bulwark against the prcs-sures of hostile Indians. It r.'i,as also a bastion ageinstthe western pretensions of tl-re French, rvho, in theircompctition with thc Spanish for control of thetrans-Mississippi West, had established themsclvcsir-r the lower Mississippi River Valle,v and in theIllinois countrv. The Frcnch had a number of ambi-tions in the West that worried the Spaniards: estab-

lishment of a trade route with Santa F6, gainingaccess to the mines of northern Mexico. and incep-

tior-r of trac-le rvith various Native Americi,u't groupson a u'idcr scale.

Lr the l8th cenrur\', the presence of thcFrench in the West u,as a dominant fbrce in shapir-re

Spain's polici' on her northem fiontier. Actu;rlh'.French presence in tl-re West l-rad been a coucern ofthe Spaniards sincc thc late lTth cer-rturr'. In 1673

Father lacqucs Marquette and I-ouis Jollict l-rac.l cle-

sccndecl the Mississippi River to the moLlth of thcArkansas. Subsequentll', Robert Cavclier, sieur clc

La Salle, macle nvo cxplorations of the West. itr168l-1682. and ir.r 1684 1687.

In the latter expedition La Salle set fbrthfiorn France r.vith four ships and 300 colonists n'iththe objective of establisl'ring a settlenent at or ncarthe mouth of tl-re Mississippi River. For some ut't-

knourn reason thc exoeclition overshot thc mouthof the river ancl ende.l up on tl're Tcxas coast at

Matagorcla Bar,. There La Sallc crectec.l Fort St.

Louis. After two years, cluring r,r.hich his ships n'crcclestrovcd and the colonv significar-rtl)' rec-lucccl innumbers and in gra\re neecl of supplies, he anc-l sonre

of his men started for Illinois. On the trip, the mcn,who r,l'ere clisheartcncd ar-rc1 insuborclinate. mllr-clcrcd La Salle or-rt of desperation. Onc of tl-rese

mcn, l7-t,ear-old lear-r lArcher'€cluc, r.l,as laterfound lii'ing lvith tl-rc Cadclo Indians b)'the Sp;rn-

iards. He u'as taken to Mcxico Cifi,, r'r4rere hc g;ryc

tcstimonv on his involvement in the La Sallc Expe-ciition. LArcher,dque later relocatccl to Santa Fd,

r.vhere he became a prominent tnerchant and prro-

genitor of the New Mexican Archibequc fhrnilr,.

La Salle's cxpcditions openecl the cloor toa true enmity bctrvccrr France ancl Spain ir-r thetrans-Mississil'r1'ri West. Startins ir-r the earlv 1700s,French traders traveled flom Louisiana up the Recl

and Arkansas rivers torvard New Mexico. L-r 1703twcnry Canaclians left Illinois fbr New Mexico, totradc and investigate mines thought to be there.Between 1706 and l7l9 French adr,anccs contin-ued. In l7l3 Louis Jucl'rereau dc St. l)enis foundec-l

Natchitoches, on the Recl River, and preparecl toextend French trade to Mexico. Anothcr Frcnch-man, lean Baptistc B6nard dc la Harpe, moving upthc Arkansas Riveq proposed a post at the mouthof the Canadian River to trade with Neu. Mexico.Word of French incursior-rs on the Plains traveledamong the Plains Indians, whcre it was picked upbv Spanish expeditions. Neu' Mexico's Eio\/ernors

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24 TERRA VOI SUMML,R 1992

in turn rclaved the reports concerning French actir'-

iw ro Mexico Cirr'.Throughout the first two decades of the

l8th century. a series of expeditions was launchecl

fiom Santa F6, both to rcprimand hostile tribes and

to seek evidence of French trespass. As mentioned,one of these expeditions is thought to be the subject

of Segesser I. Er.'entuallr,, reports of French activiwin Tcxas, coupled u,ith Ncw Mexico's alreadv exist-

ing problems, conl,inced the autl-roritics ir-r McxicoCity that ciecisive action hacl to be taken to stoP

French incursion into Spanish tcrritory. In a plandevisecl to establish dominion on the Plains in the

face of French expansion, Spanish Viceroy Baltasar

c1e Zifiig4 Marqu6s de Valero, clirected New Mexi-co Governor Antonio Valvercle v Cosio to establish

a fort at a placc in western I(ansas near the PresentI(ansas-Colorado bounclarv.

Governor Valverde was rvcll aware of the

implications of French intrusion; however, he was

not convinced of the prudence of locating a fort so

fhr fiom Santa F6 at the place specified b,v the vice-

ro,v. While acknowledging the vicerofs directive,l-re organized an expedition to punisl-r a Comanche

group that had rccentlv raided solne New Mexicansettlements. While on the Plains, that cxpeditionwould seek evidence of French activitv. Further,Governor Valverde would compilc more inforrna-tion qucstioning the judiciousness of locating a

military post at the place enumcrated bv ViceroyValero.

In 1719, Governor Valverde departedSanta F6 rvith 60 garrison troops, 40 civilians, and

465 auxiliarv Pueblo L-rdians (the Spanish had longrelied on ir-rdigenous allies to augment their ownmilitarv fbrces). As expected, irrefutable evidence

of French presence on the Plains u'as fbuncl on thisexpedition. Once back in Santa F6, Got'ernorValverde convenccl a council to consider the vice-

rov's instructions ir-r light of the neu' evidence.

Meanwhile, word was receited from Madrid that a

state of rvar had been cleclared between France and

Spain. With the subsequent loss of Pensacola, Flor-ida, to France rn 1719, the vicerov became con-

vincecl of a rnourrting Frcr-rch milit;rrv threat on thcPL-rir-rs. Ncrv Mexico ueeclecl to ilct.

L-r spitc of the critical sitttatiotr, ClovcrnorVnlverc'le ar-rc1 l-ris coturcil coulcl not agrcc u,ith thevicero\is instructions regarc-liug the establisl'rr-t-rcnt

of a militarv post at a remotc prlace ou tl-re Plains. Itrvas sub-.ecluenth' clecidecl that vct ltnothcr cxpecli-

tion u'as in orclcq to reconnoiter a bettcr placc fbr;rfbrt, ancl to learn of altt, neu.' Frencl'r intentiot-tsamong thc Pl;rins tribcs.

h-r micl-lune 1720, Valvcrcle clispatcl-rccl

this cxpeclition, unc.ler thc leaclcrship of his licuten-:1nt eio\/crnoq Peclro clc Villasur. Forn'-cight rot'altroops anc-l thrcc civiliat'rs inclucling c\petritteFrenchman Jean I'Arcl-rcveclLle, no\\r knou,n as JttanArchibeclucr \\'ere in tl-rc partlr. Archibccluc \\'as thecxpcc'litior-r's triurslatot, sitrce thc Spirnish fullr, cx-

1-rcctccl to fl-rcl Frcnchmen. Aclclitior-rallr', 60 armccl

These two errant segments of the

Segesser I Hide Painting were

purchased by the Palace of the

Governors of the Museum of New

Mexico along with the rest of the

work. They were originally to the

immediate right of a 40" piece

showing a Native American tipi village;

this piece was separated from the rest

of the painting before 1908 and is in

the collection of another member oftho (ono<<or f:milv Annthor niorp thpr,,L JLyLJJL'

extreme right side of Segesser l, with

the decorative border, is missing.

TERRA \/OI-.30. NO.4 SUMMF,R 1992 25

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Senesser ll The r-h.anlain of the Villasur

Expedition, Friar Juan Minguez, can be

seen running toward the group ofSpanish presidral soldiers f rghtrng back

to back in the photo opposite The

nrieq1 is dpnirtpd in the traditional blue

cassock of the Franciscan Order in

New Mexico in the lBth century.

Tonsured and bearing a crucifix, he is

portrayed holding his robe over his

head to enable him to run faster, and

perhaps in a feeble attempl to protect

himself ; he has received several

arrow wounds.

ancl rnollntecl Pueblo Inclian auxiliarics i'rccomDil-niccl thc roval troops. Thc leacler of the ,ruxilieiicswas Joseph Naranjo, a Pueblo L-rcliar-r fiom a villagenorth of Sar-rta F6. Narar-rjo, $,ho \\'as ilssielncc-l theprcstigious titlc of cnpit&n nxnyzr d.e guen a, is

thought to be one of the inclivicluals portravecl inthe battle scene of- Segesser II.

Thc cxpcclition I'rctrclccl nortl'r fiom SantaF6 to Thos, turnecl cast, then northeast into p-rpc5r'111-

c-lar, I('ursas. Then, fbllowing a Palvr-rcc routc to thcPlattc Rivcr (Rio clc Jcsirs Marfa), tl-rc grolrpmoved north into castcrn Nebraska. Thev fbllou,eclthe Platte east to the Loup River (Rio San

Lorenzo), r.vhere ther, fbur-rc1 evidencc of rr largcNatir,c Ar-ncrican villagc on thc lrove. Tl-re expecli-

tion proceeclecl up the Loup until it came to a largcPawncc Inclian cncampr-ncnt. Villasur triccl to openclialoguc u,ith the Pawnees, but to no avail. Wl'renhc l-rcarcl that a u'hite rnan was livir-rg among thcPawnees, he attemptecl to contact the man u'ith a

letter r,vritten in French bv Archibcqllc. Again,thcrc r.l'as no answer.

Sensing a potentiallr. hostile situation.Villasur orclered his aml, to retreat to the conflu-cncc of tl'rc Loup and Plattc rivcrs, lvhere the menset up camp or-r a plair-r coverecl u,itl-r tall grass. Atclar.L-rreak the next clal', August 13, 1720, thc Pau'-

nees anc-l a grollp of tl-reir Oto Inclian allies :rttackccl.'Thet'caught the Neu, Mexicans complctclv bv sur-prisc. The Inclians' initial onslatrgl'rt apprrrcnth/ in-

cluded some musket shots. A pitchecl battle ensuccl

ir-r which all but fburteen of the Spaniards wcrc lcftdcad in the tall grass. Villasur, Arcl'ribcquc, ancl thcexpedition's only priest, Fral, Juan Mir-rguez. all

died. Captain Joseph Naranjo \vas among thc I IPueblo allics wl-ro werc killed in thc afTiar'.

Tl-re attack was a n-rajor catastrophc forNew Mexico. Tl-re casualties amountecl to a thircl ofthe province's best soldiers. The loss of the IlPucblo Natir.e American auxiliaries \\'as to bc fcltfbr a generation or more ir-r tl-rc i.illages fion-r u'hichthev hailecl. A fbrmer go\rcrnor, F6lix Martinez,urho was Governor Valvercle's rival ;rncl antagor-rist.wrotc to Vicerot' Valero:

. . . in thc villa of Sar-rta Fi, thirtt'-nvo u'iclou,s irncl utr.'rltr,

orphirnccl chilclrcn. u'hosc tcars reach thc skr'. mourn thc

poor abilifl' of thc govcrno( prav Ciocl fbr his punish-

ment, ancl au,:rit the remecl\, of Vour justice .

Formcr Govcrnor Martfnez r.vas alrcaclr'ir-r Mexico Citr, fhcing various cl-rargcs resultinsfionl his term as governor. He atternptecl to placetl-rc blar-nc fbr tl're debacle on Govenror Valvercle.The resr-rlt was a scrics of reports rrnd intervieu's.Valvercle clefi:r-rclcd Villasur. u,honr Martincz rrc-

cusec-l of incompetence ancl incxpcricr-rcc. Thc in-vcstigations contiuued fbr'the next se\ren \/ears.

The lcngtl-rv investigation culminirtecl in amild reprinrand fbr Governor Valvercle. He u'as

orclcrcd to pa\' 50 pesos to\\,arc-ls Catholic masscs

fbr the souls of thc clcad solcliers ancl I50 pcsos forpurchases of a cl-ralice ancl ornamcnts fbr nclr, rlis-sions. Thc same order ;rbsolvec'l him of guilt fbrhis judgcmcnt in directing Villasur to leatl thcexpeditior-r.

The onlv c-\tant eycu'itncss llccolurt of thcexpedition is a portion of a clian, kept bt, Co.;r,r..tFelipe Tamarfs. The diarr,u'as fbund at tl'rc sccr.rc oftl'rc attack bv Oto L-rcliar-r cornbatants ancl n,as

turned over to Pierre Dugu6 de Boisbriant, com-mandant of the I(askaskia outpost in the Frenchdistrict of Illinois. It was translated from Spanishinto French in thc 1720s. The translation is in theArchive Nationales in Paris, but Thmaris's originaldiary cannot be found. The last entry in it was madethe day before the attack. The most reliable ac-

counts of the attack were gil.en by the Spaniardswho survived. Commander Yldefonso Rael de

Aguilar gave testimony during tl-rc investigations,as did Corporal Thmaris and rwo other survivors.Unfortunately,, thc Tamaris diary. his restimonr,.and tlrat of the othcr survirors is inrprccisc on ccr-tain points.

It has been asserted that the 37 Europe-ar-rs firing longarms at the Spanish troops inSegesser II are French soldicrs. A perplcxing qucs-tion is whether French soldicrs werc actuallr,

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26 TERRA \'()l-. .1 0. i\.-(). -1 sL,,\tNl l._l{ t992

present at the dawn attack on the Villasur expedi-tion. There is no record of a French military contin-gent in the are a of the confluence of the Loup andPlatte rivers, where the attack took place (near

present-day Columbus, Nebraska). A volley ofmusket fire was reported by several of the survivors.But Corporal Thmaris testified that he did notknow who the attackers were) presumably because

of the resulting confusion of the surprise attack andthe tall grass that hindered visibility. The other sur-vivors were equally uncertain as to the identiry ofthe attackers. The present assumption is that ifthere were any'Europeans present in the attack onthe Spanish troops, they were most likely Frenchtraders. At the very least, the musket fire could be

considered deadly proof that the Pawnees and Otoshad obtained firearms from the French. French re-

ports of the attack, all secondhand, are confusingand conflicting, and do not reveal any new informa-tion, although the French were intrigued over thedisaster and embroidered upon the story as Spanishguns) edged weapons and clothing articles, and theThmaris diary were brought in by various NativeAmerican groups to Michilimackinac in Michigan,and to locations in Illinois.

In terms of art history, there are many

precedents for the Segesser Hidc Paintings. Largewall hangings were popular in Europe and Mexicoin the lTth and lBth centuries. I(nown as replsterlsin Spanish, these wall hangings rypically featuredbiblical, mythical and battle scenes, and floral pat-terns. In Europe most wall hangings of this periodwere tapestries, produced in factories in variouscountries such as Belgium and France.

In the New World these wall hangingswere also executed on leather. The use ofleather forsuch wall hangings was itself not unusual, as theMoors had a tradition of painting on leather thatthe Spanish inherited and brought to Mexico. InNew Mexico, religious figures were painted on ani-mal hides and used by the Franciscan missionariesas decorations for ecclesiastical structures in theconversion of Native Americans to Christianity.

It is generally conceded that the Segesser

Hide Paintings were painted on leather because

canvas would have been a rare commodity on thenorthern frontier of New Spain. Today there are 68hide paintings extant fiom Ner.v Mexico's colonialperiod in museum collections, although none ofthem are as large as the Segesser Hide Paintings,and all are of strictly religious subjects. In NewMexico, and probably in other places in New Spainas well, painting on hides can be considered a fron-tier solution to the unavailabiliry of canvas.

It is believed that the Segesser HidePaintings were painted in New Mexico, likely inSanta F6. Again, there is an historical precedent fbr

this assumption. Tanned hides were ail export itemthroughout the colonial period in New Mexico.Hides were acquired through trade from the Plains

Indians, and processed by the Spanish colonists.They were used for clothing and bedding by bothNative Americans and Spaniards. Historical docu-ments mention that reposter7s were also being pro-duced in "factories" in Santa F6, one of which was

owned and operated by a colonial period governor.In these factories Native Americans producedpainted wall hangings for export to Mexico; it is

very likely that there was a market for them in the

mining towns of northern Mexico. The documentsindicate that hides were painted in Santa F6 and

Detail of the battle scene in the

Spanish camp, Segesser ll. The group

of presidial soldiers is illustrated,

wearing traditional wide-brimmed hats

and sleeveless, multi-layered cowhide

jackets (cueras), and bearing lances,

muskets, and shields. The hatless man

with blond hair and a blue coat on the

right side of the group is thought by

some historians to be Juan Archibeque

(Jean I'Archeveque), interpreter for the

Villasur Expedition.

TERRA VOI,. .30. NO. 4 SUMMER 1992 27

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One of the most important French

geographers and cartographers of the

lBth century was Guillaume Delisle

(1615-1126I In 1718 Delisle published

his celebrated "Carte de la Louisiane et

du Cours du MississiPPi," which

embraced the western country as far

as the course of the upper Rio Grande.

The Delisle map was reissued manY

times with only slight changes during

the remainder of the lBth century by

most of the leading cartographers of

Europe. Apparently Delisle obtained

much of his information directly from

the French exPlorers and

administrators in New France. His

efforts represented disttnct advances tn

the mapping of the American West.

exported to other areas in New Spain throughoutthe colonial perioc.

The Segesser Hide Paintings do not show

any distinctive ground or gesso layer under the

paint. The colors seem to be of local organic origin,except in the case of the dark blue paint, which has

been identified as Prussian Blue, a commercial pig-ment produced in Europe. This blue pigment aP-

pears to have been mixed with yellows to create

some of the greens. Time has muted the once-bril-liant colors of the Segesser Hide Paintings, but the

viewer can discern the vibrancy of the original pig-ments in examining Segesser I. This painting ap-

pears to have been mounted at one time with mold-ing strips covering several narrow vertical bands

of the work and protecting them from lightdegradation.

There seem to be at least two distinctstvles present in each of the paintings. Based on the

flneness of line, it seems likely that the human fig-urcs may have been drawn by one hand, the floraland faunal details added by another, and the floralborders done by yet another artist. Multiple artists

were definitely employed in the fhctory-setting Pro-duction of reposterosl thus it seems l kely that thiswas the approach taken with the Segesser Hide

Paintings. In the case of Segesser I, it scems prob-able that an eyewitness assisted the artists in theirexecution of the paintings by providing details ofthe disasteq since the imagery in thc paintingsclosely coincides with recordecl accottnts of the

attack.Further research is being conducted ot-t

the Segesser Hide Paintings as thev are sought outby scholars fbr the insights they prol'ide to the

study of ethnography, armamentr clothing, horse

gear, social stratification, European and NativeAmerican alliances, Native American panoplv ofthe period, the European rivalry for the trans-Mis-sissippi West, and other factors. Future analysis is

planned, to locate the hides, in terms of their PreP-aration, within Native American or European tech-

nology. Further testing, it is hoped, will deterrnine

the specific organic nature of the pigments.Historical documentary research is also

continuing. The ship used to transPort the paint-ings to Europe has been identified, ancl the vessel's

cargo manifbst has been fbund. In one of his letters

home, Father Segesser mentions having shi;rpecl

three paintings. This third painting is unaccountedfbq but research is currently being conductecl along

two propositions. The first is that the captain of the

2B TERRA VOI,. 30. NO. 4 SUN{MElI 1992

' Ii:i;;ryi

, ti, r:;li.''.i'

"'

ship, Domir-rgo Apoclaca, or l-ris uncle, Tomds

Apodaca, the ship's owner (both residents of Cadiz,

Spain, where the sl-rip docked after the voyage fromMexico) kept the third painting as a cttriosin'or as

payment fbr transporting the cratc containing the

paintings to Europe . Unfbrtunately,, at the present

timc there are no members of the Apodaca famil,v

residing in Cadiz, although the main street of tl-re

city is named Avenida Apoclaca. According to local

sources) the familv relocated to the Jdrez region ofsouthern Andalusia, Spain. Eflbrts are beir-rg made

to locate Apodacas living there, to see if famill'members possess ant, information on the missing

third painting.The seconcl proposition being investigat-

ed is that all three hide paintings arrived in Switzer-land, where the third painting was given to the

Balthasar family, based like the Segesser family inLucerne. The Balthasars also had a son scrving as a

lesuit missionary in Sonora who was a close friendof Father Segesser. Inquiries about the third paint-ing have been made of family members still residingin Lucerne, but until such time as this paintingsurfaces, if in fact it still cxists, one can only specu-

late as to its subject matter and what it could reveal

to researchcrs.

Another critical questiolt addressed br'

scholars but not deflnitivelv ansrvered is lvht' the

paintings were executcd. Were they decorativc

replsterls, leather tapestries, intended like tl-reir Eu-ropean counterparts as adornment and warmth-re-tainers for tl're room of a private home or publicstructnref Were therr intended as visual aids to ac-

compan\/ the offlcial rcPorts of the cvents thsv por-tral,) 11 is assumed that Father Segesser acquired

tlre hidc paintings in Sonora berween 1732 and

1758. Br-rt how did the paintings get to Sonoraf Alikell, explanation is through the furza fhmill'. For

generations beginning in the late lTtl-r centurv)

members of the Anzafamily were Prominent in the

militarv and civil affairs of both Sonora and NewMexico. An Anza familv home was located in the

same village where Father Segesser's mission was

situated. It is known that members of the Anza

family were on friendly terms with the priest. One

of the Anzas may have brought the three hide

paintings to Sonora, where they became the ProP-erry of Father Segesscr.

The paintings have great public appeal. Inaddition to their scholarly significar-rce, they harre

the dramatic impact of a fiontier battle, and thet'

graphically illustrate the violence and political com-

The confluence of the Loup and Platte

Rivers is depicted in this view of the

left side of Segesser ll. French soldiers

with muskets are illustrated, leaving

the scene of the attack on the Villasur

Expedition The implication is that the

French soldiers and their Pawnee and

Oto Native American allies came from

a village situated upriver.

ffii'jil"..,1',.'1 16.

lil:ti, ... i

TERRA \'OI sLr MML,t{ 1992 29

plexiry of life in early A,rnerica' Since they were

ptr..a on exhibit in the Palage.gf tle Governors in

aogrrtt of 1986, an estimated 836,000people have

vieiecl.them. Now a Permanent Part of NewMexi-

co'i patrimony, the Segesser Hide ?aintings are a

true source of pride for all New Mexicans'

Chartei Bennett has been a meruber of the researcb

tearn investuottng the Segesser Hide Paintings frorn

'the outset. He is .cuwently Assistant Director and' Cu-

rator ofCollertions, Palace ofthe Governors, Mwseum of

New Mexico. His specif'c area of research is ths

Arnericanization of the Southwest: the process whereby

the la'ws, institwt'ions, and' custotns of the U'S' were

swperirnposed' on New Mexico and the Sowthwestern

Bird.erfands beginning in 1821 with the n7rn'ng ofthe

Santa Fd Thail.

30