Anza Chases Cuerno Verde
On August 29th, 1779, thirteen days into his punitive chase of the Jupe Comanche leader Cuerno Verde, New Mexican governor Juan Bautista de Anza camped at the foot of a steeply rising mountain. The peak, which we now know as Pikes Peak, reached 14,115 feet above sea level, but strangely Anza could not see it. So he named it "Ojos Ciegos," Spanish for "Blind Eyes." (Thomas, 1932)
Anza’s record of the campaign tracks the distances traveled, describes the topography traversed, and names the natural landmarks they encountered. In Spanish, the expression "Blind Eyes" has different meanings, but it generally describes someone who is naïve and has yet to "open their eyes." As part of an official government document of the expedition submitted to Commandant General Teodoro Croix, such an expression served no purpose. It is doubtful that Anza was waxing poetic or philosophical here. Unfortunately, he does not explain his choice of "Blind Eyes,” leaving us to guess his motives.
However, a clue can offer some insight into his decision. It is known that a blizzard and dense fog enveloped the region near present-day Cripple Creek on August 28th, just a day before Anza established his camp near the mountain. The hills that served as markers for their journey became invisible, prompting Anza to name them the "Lomas Perdidas," or "Lost Hills." As continuing further was perilous, they camped at that spot for the night. The following day, Anza recorded:
At eight o'clock [a.m.] the weather still bad, we forged ahead to the east…the day’s journey terminated, the night being now well advanced, at the foot of a high hill which was called Los Ojos Ciegos. (Thomas, 1932, p. 129)
Snow Blindness
Anyone who has watched the Winter Olympics, specifically skiing, knows that skiers wear sunglasses. The sun's rays are more intense at higher altitudes. This phenomenon, combined with the light reflected off snowy slopes, can cause a medical condition called photokeratitis, more commonly known as snow blindness, which prevents those affected from seeing clearly. Although temporary, it is painful. Luckily, resting the eyes for a couple hours typically allows vision to return to normal.
Suppose Governor Anza had a bout of snow blindness. Along with the fog, he could not possibly have seen the mountain. The "Blind Eyes" designation, then, might have constituted a warning to later explorers to protect themselves from the sunlight reflecting off the snow of the mountain, as it is blinding.
Anza’s eyes must have recovered because his troops fought the Jupe Comanche twice over the next two weeks. The first battle occurred near Colorado Springs and the second near Pueblo. The Anza party emerged victorious from both fights. By September 10th, they had returned to Santa Fe with Cuerno Verde’s headdress, a green bison horn, as a trophy.
The War for Colorado's Topography
In the end, Anza implies that arrogance and not muskets balls killed Cuerno Verde. He writes that his adversary had an opportunity to come forward and kneel at the altar of dignity during his last stand before receiving his fate. In an allusion to St. Peter, he had three chances to load his musket before firing it, and all three times, he had his servant do it for him, ultimately denying his entrance through the pearly gates. This was the ultimate snub from Anza’s ardently Catholic point of view, and for that reason, he deprived Cuerno Verde of his life.
However, his singlemindedness may have cost Anza a chance at lasting renown. The man the Spanish dubbed "Cuerno Verde" was known to his people as Tabivo Naritgant, Comanche for "Dangerous Man," and he had engaged the Spanish to avenge the death of his predecessor. Tabivo Naritgant believed that only his demise would ensure a total and lasting victory. The battle meant less to him than his obligations to his people and traditions.
It seems that subsequent US mapmakers found themselves in agreement with Tabivo Naritgant. Although Governor Anza won the day on the battlefield, today, the Greenhorn Mountain takes its name from the Comanche leader who died waging war against the New Mexicans, while Anza missed out on naming Pikes Peak due to a combination of a blizzard, dense fog, and possibly snow blindness. Such is the irony of history, where the victors do not always get to write their name on the mountains they conquer.
Written by: DriverAbe
Twitter: @AbeTheAIGuy
Houston Rideshare Blog and Forum
Works Cited
Thomas, A. B. (1932). Forgotten Frontiers: A Study of the Spanish Indian Policy of Don Juan Bautista De Anza, Governor of New Mexico, 1777-1787. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/forgottenfrontie0000thom
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