Death Comes for the Archbishop

Father Latour and Jacinto ride west out of Albuquerque through barren desert. It takes them several days to arrive at Laguna Pueblo, and Latour marvels at the contrast between the large lake (which gives Laguna Pueblo its name) and the arid landscape that surrounds it. Father Latour baptizes children and meets the Pueblo’s people and their warm-hearted priest. From Jacinto, he learns the Indigenous names for various local land formations. Latour finds Jacinto complex, thoughtful, and well versed in his own culture and its knowledge. He reflects that their divergent worldviews will always prevent two understanding between the two, but there is nonetheless a mutual kindness and respect.

The next morning, Father Latour and Jacinto leave Laguna and go to Acoma. There, too, the stark beauty of the countryside awes Latour. Acoma Pueblo sits atop a 10-acre mesa, one of many such land formations that rise like cathedrals out of the desert sands below. Although isolated, the Pueblo provides excellent refuge from would-be attackers, and Latour reflects that Spain has successfully attacked Acoma only once. Latour feels an ancient energy in the area and looks with wonder at the ever-moving cloud formations above, a marked contrast from the vast, uninterrupted blue of the sky in Kansas and the other midwestern territories. Latour says mass in a dilapidated church and feels a distinct sense of loneliness.

About 50 years after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, during the early days of the 18th century, Acoma had a corrupt and abusive priest named Fray Baltazar Montoya. Dead set on cultivating a lush garden in the desert, he forced Acoma residents to toil in the hot sun in order to grow fruit and vegetables that he kept for himself. He hoarded water, a precious commodity on the arid mesa, and demanded tribute from his parishioners in the form of food and other necessities. For 15 years, the priest tyrannically ruled over the Acoma residents, but he ultimately met a disastrous end. Baltazar was lonely and arranged for a large dinner party to which he invited various priests from the neighboring Pueblos and their missions. He cooked the entire meal himself and was proud of the feast. One of the Indigenous serving boys whom he tasked with bringing the various dishes out from the kitchen dropped a plate of food, and in a fit of rage Baltazar threw a pewter mug at him. The boy died, and the gathered priests fled back to their own pueblos. The Acoma residents banded together and threw the corrupt priest from the mesa.

A month after Father Latour’s visit to Albuquerque, the hard-drinking, card-playing Father Gallegos is officially suspended, and Father Vaillant takes his place. Initially, the citizens of Albuquerque resent him: Father Gallegos was one of their own. However, they eventually warm to Vaillant and even embrace his reforms. Devout practice becomes as fashionable as revelry once was. Latour learns that Vaillant, who was dispatched to the small village of Las Vegas, has fallen ill with the measles. Latour immediately sets out with food and medicine for his friend. He blames himself for bringing Vaillant to this harsh and unforgiving country and hopes he can save him. On the way, he spends a night with Jacinto and his family. There, shares a delicious meal with Jacinto and his wife and learns that Jacinto’s son is sick. He reflects on the high rates of infant mortality in Indigenous communities and thinks about the many contagious illnesses that Europeans brought to the New World. Tribes that once flourished are in decline, and he sees no one to blame but the Spaniards and other colonial groups.

Latour and Jacinto continue on their journey to help Vaillant. They get caught in a snowstorm, and Jacinto tells Latour that they must leave the woods and shelter in a nearby cave. The cave, which resembles a pair of stone lips, is vast and cold. It reminds Latour of a cathedral, but he’s strangely uncomfortable inside it. Jacinto explains that it’s a holy site and that his people once used it for important ceremonies. He tells Latour that never to mention its location to anyone. They spend a fitful night in the cave, and the sound of a rushing, underwater river disturbs Latour. The next morning, they continue on and find that Vaillant is already healing. Kit Carson, who also heard of the priest’s illness, brought him food and provisions a few days earlier, and Vaillant is now ready to return to Santa Fe. Latour’s memories of the cave continue to trouble him, and he reflects that white men likely have no way to truly understand Indigenous minds. Latour respects Indigenous devotion to customs and tradition, but because Indigenous people like Jacinto are so dedicated to preserving their cultures, he doubts that they can truly convert to Catholicism.