The Segesser H ide Paintings

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

bt, Chnrrles Benmetr

lhe painted hide known as Segesser
From THE OLD WEST: The Spanrsh
\A/oqi nhntnnr:nh hv Vrio< Dohr:inp
.o 19f6 Time-Life Books
ASTONISHIN(I AIITIFAC]]'S
\,\TO
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 bison
hicles, are knolr,n as Segcsser I ancl Scgesser II ;rficr
the Srviss fhmily that ownec-l thcm, aud arc thought
to bc among tl'rc carliest dcpictions of color-rial life
in 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 bison
hicles scwn togethcr. The subjects of the largc paint-
ings are armecl confiontations benvecn late lTth-
ancl carlv l8th-centun, Spanish soldicrs ancl their
Pueblo incliar-r auxiliarics, and otl'rcq op;rosir-rg Na-
tivc Anericarl grollps. In thc case of Segesscr II, thc
opposing Native Ar-nericans have thc assistaucc of
\\'hat appcar to L-rc European solclicrs in l8th-ccr-r-
trrrv grcnrrrlier ttrrilirrnrs.
ll. 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-
Inc ir-rcc of Sonora. Mexico) to his brother Ulrich Franz
losef, of Lucerne, Su,itzcrlanc'l ancl u.erc kc1'rt in thc
Segesser 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 of
Etl-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 thc
hicle paintings that \\/as translatccl iuto English anrl
;rtrblislrecl in 1970 bv the Univcrsitv of Oklahotlrr
Press. Hotz's book u,as rcPritrtec'l last \,car bv thc
Muscnrn of Neu, Mcxico Press turclcr the titlc Tlr
Segesser Hide Paintinqs: Masterpitccs Depictiw Spmt-
ish ColoninlNet,Mexiro. Lr 1986, the prrintirUls \\'crc
loirnccl 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'ttc
clonations ancl an unprcceclerrtccl legislrrtivc
ap;rropriation.
Segcsscr I, mcasuring 13Vz L1, 4Vz fcct,
portre\rs a confiot-rtlrtiot't be tu'e ct-t rr grottp of
rnountecl Nativc Arnericatrs. r,l,ith t$'o ;lpparcltt
non-Nativc Amcricans, aud a largc group of tttr-
nlouuterl) opr1-rosing Nativc Amcricatrs. Tl-rc sctting
is a fbrcstccl, mourrtainous arca, tlte habitat of thc
rvilcl anir-nals also clepictecl: L-reaq t't'tountain sl-rcc1-r.
br-rflhlo, antelopc, mountaitr liotr, :Lncl others. Thc
confiontatior-r is thotrgl-rt bt'historians to bc r1n i'tc-

,
f1 -,
: .,i:: :,

+.

'w r!

'.r!l:

22 TERRA \'()1..30. N-().'+ SLrr\'INtt'. 1{ 1992

tual cvcnt fiom the Southrvest's colonial past, but
there is uncertainfi/ as to ll'hen the er.'ent took place.
It is generally accepted that the coufrontatiotl took
placc during a pur-ritivc expedition dispatcl-red fiom
thc Palacc of the Gor.crnors, Santa F6, against a
grollp of Plains Apaches. The expcdition consisted
of Pueblo Indian auxili:rrics and tw'o Spanish rnili-
tary olllccrs.
Native American grollps, including
Apaches, Navajos, Comanchcs, and Utes, raicled
the Spanish ar-rc-l Pucblo Incli;rr-r settlcments
throughout 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 punish
fbrtunatelr,, the fiagment is probablv lost. Another
section 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 Governors
to pr-rrchase this section of the painting. A third
seglnent 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. The
jru'rction of tivo rivers is obviotts on the right side of
thc work. Historians agree that Segesscr II is a

them ancl inhibit future raids, anc-l to rcscue women depictiorr of tl'rc 1720 destruction of tl-rc expedition
ancl children who had been abducted. It is tl-rought of Spanish troops and Puet-rlo Indian auxiliaries lec-l
that Segesscr I portra\ls one of thc puuiti'n'e fbravs b1, \g$' Mexico Lieutenant Govcrnor Pcdro c1e

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 Huencnberg
Castle, a Scgcsser fhmil,v homc ncar Luccrne. IJn-
Villasur. The expcclition rcached the conf-luence of
the Loup and Platte rivers. in present eastern Ne-
braska, w4ren, in an early morning surprise attack,
the cxpedition was virtuallv annihilated. The
Villasur expedition had been dispatched b)' the
Governor of Ncu, Mexico to seek evidence of
French intrusion into rvhat was at thc tirne part of
Sprin's colonial empire.

{ft

I T,
\

'y,'

,r:'i.*, 1'\' ', ...'-,ift;:"

1r.
'i ,lr
i',; :,,.

l',r. :

1-. t't
't 1.

TERRA \'()1. 30. NO. .+ SLrMN',lF, lL l992 23

 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.
24
Tl-re expeclitior-r hacl set out fiom the Pal-
acc of the Governors in Santa F6. The con-rplex of
adobe 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 historv
nIUSeLll-]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 coltsternation
to Spanisl-r officials in Mexico Citv. Ncw Mexico
hacl 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's
Govcrnor don Dicgo cle Vargas frnallv succeeded in
resettling 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 ageinst
the western pretensions of tl-re French, rvho, in their
compctition with thc Spanish for control of the
trans-Mississippi West, had established themsclvcs
ir-r the lower Mississippi River Valle,v and in the
Illinois 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, gaining
access to the mines of northern Mexico. and incep-
TERRA VOI SUMML,R 1992
#l;,,'
I
., jr'
tior-r of trac-le rvith various Native Americi,u't groups
on a u'idcr scale.
Lr the l8th cenrur\', the presence of thc
French 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 of
the 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 thc
Arkansas. Subsequentll', Robert Cavclier, sieur clc
La Salle, macle nvo cxplorations of the West. itr
168l-1682. and ir.r 1684 1687.
In the latter expedition La Salle set fbrth
fiorn France r.vith four ships and 300 colonists n'ith
the objective of establisl'ring a settlenent at or ncar
the mouth of tl-re Mississippi River. For some ut't-
knourn reason thc exoeclition overshot thc mouth
of 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'crc
clestrovcd and the colonv significar-rtl)' rec-lucccl in
numbers 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 later
found 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 to
a true enmity bctrvccrr France ancl Spain ir-r the
trans-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 1703
twcnry Canaclians left Illinois fbr New Mexico, to
tradc 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 to
extend French trade to Mexico. Anothcr Frcnch-
man, lean Baptistc B6nard dc la Harpe, moving up
thc Arkansas Riveq proposed a post at the mouth
of the Canadian River to trade with Neu. Mexico.
Word of French incursior-rs on the Plains traveled
among the Plains Indians, whcre it was picked up
bv Spanish expeditions. Neu' Mexico's Eio\/ernors
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 thought to be the subject
is
of Segesser I. Er.'entuallr,, reports of French activiw
in Tcxas, coupled u,ith Ncw Mexico's alreadv exist-
ing problems, conl,inced the autl-roritics ir-r Mcxico
City that ciecisive action hacl to be taken to stoP
French incursion into Spanish tcrritory. In a plan
In 1719, Governor Valverde departed
Santa F6 rvith 60 garrison troops, 40 civilians, and
465 auxiliarv Pueblo L-rdians (the Spanish had long
relied on ir-rdigenous allies to augment their own
militarv fbrces). As expected, irrefutable evidence
of French presence on the Plains u'as fbuncl on this
expedition. Once back in Santa F6, Got'ernor
Valverde 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-
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 of
tho (ono<<or f:milv Annthor niorp thp
r,,L JLyLJJL'

devisecl 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 Present
I(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 Mexican
settlements. While on the Plains, that cxpedition
would 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 Viceroy
Valero.
ida, to France rn 1719, the vicerov became con- extreme right side of Segesser l, with
vincecl of a rnourrting Frcr-rch milit;rrv threat on thc the decorative border, is missing.
PL-rir-rs. Ncrv Mexico ueeclecl to ilct.
L-r spitc of the critical sitttatiotr, Clovcrnor
Vnlverc'le ar-rc1 l-ris coturcil coulcl not agrcc u,ith the
vicero\is instructions regarc-liug the establisl'rr-t-rcnt
of a militarv post at a remotc prlace ou tl-re Plains. It
rvas sub-.ecluenth' clecidecl that vct ltnothcr cxpecli-
tion u'as in orclcq to reconnoiter a bettcr placc fbr;r
fbrt, ancl to learn of altt, neu.' Frencl'r intentiot-ts
among 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'al
troops anc-l thrcc civiliat'rs inclucling c\petritte
Frenchman Jean I'Arcl-rcveclLle, no\\r knou,n as Jttan
Archibeclucr \\'ere in tl-rc partlr. Archibccluc \\'as the
cxpcc'litior-r's triurslatot, sitrce thc Spirnish fullr, cx-
1-rcctccl to fl-rcl Frcnchmen. Aclclitior-rallr', 60 armccl

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


n r"9;i
lt'j:i
q:.i
;i:it
L::iirt
Senesser ll The r-h.anlain of the Villasur
Expedition, Friar Juan Minguez, can be
seen running toward the group of
Spanish 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.
26
ou#-'il-,*
L
r,l:.#*:*"*
,.*,3'$i
"'-"t \ i'." '
.,il'.'il tf
. :, '. "=,\k#-
j:#s-
ancl rnollntecl Pueblo Inclian auxiliarics i'rccomDil-
niccl thc roval troops. Thc leacler of the ,ruxilieiics
was Joseph Naranjo, a Pueblo L-rcliar-r fiom a village
north of Sar-rta F6. Narar-rjo, $,ho \\'as ilssielncc-l the
prcstigious titlc of cnpit&n nxnyzr d.e guen a, is
thought to be one of the inclivicluals portravecl in
the battle scene of- Segesser II.
Thc cxpcclition I'rctrclccl nortl'r fiom Santa
F6 to Thos, turnecl cast, then northeast into p-rpc5r'111-
c-lar, I('ursas. Then, fbllowing a Palvr-rcc routc to thc
Plattc Rivcr (Rio clc Jcsirs Marfa), tl-rc grolrp
moved north into castcrn Nebraska. Thev fbllou,ecl
the Platte east to the Loup River (Rio San
Lorenzo), r.vhere ther, fbur-rc1 evidencc of rr largc
Natir,c Ar-ncrican villagc on thc lrove. Tl-re expecli-
tion proceeclecl up the Loup until it came to a largc
Pawncc Inclian cncampr-ncnt. Villasur triccl to open
clialoguc u,ith the Pawnees, but to no avail. Wl'ren
hc l-rcarcl that a u'hite rnan was livir-rg among thc
Pawnees, 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 men
set up camp or-r a plair-r coverecl u,itl-r tall grass. At
clar.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-
TERRA \'()l-. .1 0. i\.-(). -1 sL,,\tNl l._l{ t992
cluded some musket shots. A pitchecl battle ensuccl
ir-r which all but fburteen of the Spaniards wcrc lcft
dcad in the tall grass. Villasur, Arcl'ribcquc, ancl thc
expedition's only priest, Fral, Juan Mir-rguez. all
died. Captain Joseph Naranjo \vas among thc I I
Pueblo allics wl-ro werc killed in thc afTiar'.
Tl-re attack was a n-rajor catastrophc for
New Mexico. Tl-re casualties amountecl to a thircl of
the province's best soldiers. The loss of the Il
Pucblo Natir.e American auxiliaries \\'as to bc fclt
fbr a generation or more ir-r tl-rc i.illages fion-r u'hich
thev 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 resultins
fionl his term as governor. He atternptecl to place
tl-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 a
mild 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 for
purchases of a cl-ralice ancl ornamcnts fbr nclr, rlis-
sions. Thc same order ;rbsolvec'l him of guilt fbr
his judgcmcnt in directing Villasur to leatl thc
expeditior-r.
The onlv c-\tant eycu'itncss llccolurt of thc
expedition is a portion of a clian, kept bt, Co.;r,r..t
Felipe Tamarfs. The diarr,u'as fbund at tl'rc sccr.rc of
tl'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 French
district of Illinois. It was translated from Spanish
into French in thc 1720s. The translation is in the
Archive Nationales in Paris, but Thmaris's original
diary cannot be found. The last entry in it was made
the day before the attack. The most reliable ac-
counts of the attack were gil.en by the Spaniards
who 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 in
Segesser II are French soldicrs. A perplcxing qucs-
tion is whether French soldicrs werc actuallr,
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 and
Platte rivers, where the attack took place (near
present-day Columbus, Nebraska). A volley of
musket fire was reported by several of the survivors.
But Corporal Thmaris testified that he did not
know who the attackers were) presumably because
of the resulting confusion of the surprise attack and
the tall grass that hindered visibility. The other sur-
vivors were equally uncertain as to the identiry of
the attackers. The present assumption is that if
there were any'Europeans present in the attack on
the Spanish troops, they were most likely French
traders. At the very least, the musket fire could be
considered deadly proof that the Pawnees and Otos
had obtained firearms from the French. French re-
ports of the attack, all secondhand, are confusing
and conflicting, and do not reveal any new informa-
tion, although the French were intrigued over the
disaster and embroidered upon the story as Spanish
guns) edged weapons and clothing articles, and the
Thmaris diary were brought in by various Native
American groups to Michilimackinac in Michigan,
and to locations in Illinois.
In terms of art history, there are many
precedents for the Segesser Hidc Paintings. Large
wall hangings were popular in Europe and Mexico
in the lTth and lBth centuries. I(nown as replsterls
in Spanish, these wall hangings rypically featured
biblical, mythical and battle scenes, and floral pat-
terns. In Europe most wall hangings of this period
were tapestries, produced in factories in various
countries such as Belgium and France.
In the New World these wall hangings
were also executed on leather. The use ofleather for
such wall hangings was itself not unusual, as the
Moors had a tradition of painting on leather that
the Spanish inherited and brought to Mexico. In
New Mexico, religious figures were painted on ani-
mal hides and used by the Franciscan missionaries
as decorations for ecclesiastical structures in the
conversion of Native Americans to Christianity.
It is generally conceded that the Segesser this assumption. Tanned hides were ail export item Detail of the battle scene in the
Hide Paintings were painted on leather because throughout the colonial period in New Mexico. Spanish camp, Segesser ll. The group
canvas would have been a rare commodity on the Hides were acquired through trade from the Plains of presidial soldiers is illustrated,
northern frontier of New Spain. Today there are 68 Indians, and processed by the Spanish colonists. wearing traditional wide-brimmed hats
hide paintings extant fiom Ner.v Mexico's colonial They were used for clothing and bedding by both and sleeveless, multi-layered cowhide
period in museum collections, although none of Native Americans and Spaniards. Historical docu- jackets (cueras), and bearing lances,
them are as large as the Segesser Hide Paintings, ments mention that reposter7s were also being pro- muskets, and shields. The hatless man
and all are of strictly religious subjects. In New duced in "factories" in Santa F6, one of which was with blond hair and a blue coat on the
Mexico, and probably in other places in New Spain owned and operated by a colonial period governor. right side of the group is thought by
as well, painting on hides can be considered a fron- In these factories Native Americans produced some historians to be Juan Archibeque
tier solution to the unavailabiliry of canvas. painted wall hangings for export to Mexico; it is (Jean I'Archeveque), interpreter for the
It is believed that the Segesser Hide very likely that there was a market for them in the Villasur Expedition.
Paintings were painted in New Mexico, likely in mining towns of northern Mexico. The documents
Santa F6. Again, there is an historical precedent fbr indicate that hides were painted in Santa F6 and

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


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.
2B
exported to other areas in New Spain throughout
the 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 light
degradation.
There seem to be at least two distinct
stvles 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 floral
and faunal details added by another, and the floral
borders done by yet another artist. Multiple artists
were definitely employed in the fhctory-setting Pro-
duction ofreposterosl thus it seems l kely that this
was the approach taken with the Segesser Hide
TERRA VOI,. 30. NO. 4 SUN{MElI 1992
o
C
o
: a
€
.
s
!
.u
o
o
2
Paintings. In the case of Segesser I, it scems prob-
able that an eyewitness assisted the artists in their
execution of the paintings by providing details of
the disasteq since the imagery in thc paintings
closely coincides with recordecl accottnts of the
attack.
Further research is being conducted ot-t
the Segesser Hide Paintings as thev are sought out
by scholars fbr the insights they prol'ide to the
study of ethnography, armamentr clothing, horse
gear, social stratification, European and Native
American alliances, Native American panoplv of
the 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 unaccounted
fbq but research is currently being conductecl along
two propositions. The first is that the captain of the
 ' 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 from
Mexico) 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 of
southern 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 in
Lucerne. The Balthasars also had a son scrving as a
lesuit missionary in Sonora who was a close friend
of Father Segesser. Inquiries about the third paint-
ing have been made of family members still residing
in Lucerne, but until such time as this painting
surfaces, if in fact it still cxists, one can only specu-
late as to its subject matter and what it could reveal
to researchcrs.
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
ffii'j Expedition The implication is that the
French soldiers and their Pawnee and
16.
il"..,1',.'1
Oto Native American allies came from
...
lil:ti, i
a village situated upriver.
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 public
structnref 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 A
likell, 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 New
Mexico. 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. In
addition to their scholarly significar-rce, they harre
the dramatic impact of a fiontier battle, and thet'
graphically illustrate the violence and political com-
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
Assistant Director and' Cu-
'the outset. He .cuwently
is

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