The Cursed "Penitente" Fortune
In it's annual Treasure edition Saga magazine (1976) the story is told of a
huge cache of wealth plundered by peons of Las Tablas, NM from wealthy landowners in 1851.
This is one cache tale that has impressive documentation. It involves the
peculiar religious order of the Penitentes which thrived perhaps for centuries.
This order used flagellation and the ceromony of crucifixion quite openly until
being excommunicated by Pope Leo X111 in 1889.
One member of the "Brothers of Darkness", Juan Fuentes, Hermano Mayor
of the village Las Tablas stirred up fellow peon laborers and attacked the rancho
of Don Luis de Bienvenidos, dressed as Apaches killed and scalped Don Luis and
several of his vaqueros. After plundering the wealth of that rancho and putting
the blame on Indians Fuentes planned another raid with the intent of not even
sparing women and children. The next victims were the ricos at the hacienda of
Don Juliano Belmonte. The plundered wealth was stored in the Las Tablas chapel. As the terrified landowners fled to Santa Fe many were ambushed.
The U.S, government, which had taken over Santa Fe in 1846 with troops
commanded by Col Stephen Watts Kearny. ordered cavalry units to suppress
the "Indian uprising." More than 300 Apaches, Comanches, Chimayos, Tesuqes
were killed in retaliation.
Feeling the heat of his deeds, Fuentes and fellow flaggelentes led a treasure
train of burros west in the direction of the 10,700 ft Canjilon Mountain. After
perhaps seven or eight hours the caravan returned to Las Tables with the un-
burdened burros. The story goes on to describe the fates of scores of treasure
seekers who got too close to the burial site.
Justice was later meted out to the murderous Fuentes by Apaches similar to
the tribe he betrayed. Other Penitentes were tried for their crimes but aquitted.
A prosecuting attorney was quoted "We have never been able to convict a
Penitente for the perpetration of a capital crime. In the first place no member
of the Brotherhood of Darkness has ever testified against another; in the second it is virtually impossible to select an impartial jury for there is no telling
how many of the veniremen may be Penitentes."
The story may never have been told if not for a diary shown to an American
who went to the mountain to see for himself. The notebook was written by
Diego Mendoza, who was taught to read by Franciscan priests. The lone literate
peon of the village participated in the raids. The American, who was being cared for by the villagers after a serious injury was asked to interpret the diary
and when he read aloud of the plunders was sworn to secrecy but later searched for the treasure and was permanently silenced by the brotherhood.
Numerous newspaper accounts of the mysterious disappearance of treasure
seekers were circulated even until the 1930's. The mountains of Northern New
Mexico even today holds secrets and mysteries from the outside world.
In it's annual Treasure edition Saga magazine (1976) the story is told of a
huge cache of wealth plundered by peons of Las Tablas, NM from wealthy landowners in 1851.
This is one cache tale that has impressive documentation. It involves the
peculiar religious order of the Penitentes which thrived perhaps for centuries.
This order used flagellation and the ceromony of crucifixion quite openly until
being excommunicated by Pope Leo X111 in 1889.
One member of the "Brothers of Darkness", Juan Fuentes, Hermano Mayor
of the village Las Tablas stirred up fellow peon laborers and attacked the rancho
of Don Luis de Bienvenidos, dressed as Apaches killed and scalped Don Luis and
several of his vaqueros. After plundering the wealth of that rancho and putting
the blame on Indians Fuentes planned another raid with the intent of not even
sparing women and children. The next victims were the ricos at the hacienda of
Don Juliano Belmonte. The plundered wealth was stored in the Las Tablas chapel. As the terrified landowners fled to Santa Fe many were ambushed.
The U.S, government, which had taken over Santa Fe in 1846 with troops
commanded by Col Stephen Watts Kearny. ordered cavalry units to suppress
the "Indian uprising." More than 300 Apaches, Comanches, Chimayos, Tesuqes
were killed in retaliation.
Feeling the heat of his deeds, Fuentes and fellow flaggelentes led a treasure
train of burros west in the direction of the 10,700 ft Canjilon Mountain. After
perhaps seven or eight hours the caravan returned to Las Tables with the un-
burdened burros. The story goes on to describe the fates of scores of treasure
seekers who got too close to the burial site.
Justice was later meted out to the murderous Fuentes by Apaches similar to
the tribe he betrayed. Other Penitentes were tried for their crimes but aquitted.
A prosecuting attorney was quoted "We have never been able to convict a
Penitente for the perpetration of a capital crime. In the first place no member
of the Brotherhood of Darkness has ever testified against another; in the second it is virtually impossible to select an impartial jury for there is no telling
how many of the veniremen may be Penitentes."
The story may never have been told if not for a diary shown to an American
who went to the mountain to see for himself. The notebook was written by
Diego Mendoza, who was taught to read by Franciscan priests. The lone literate
peon of the village participated in the raids. The American, who was being cared for by the villagers after a serious injury was asked to interpret the diary
and when he read aloud of the plunders was sworn to secrecy but later searched for the treasure and was permanently silenced by the brotherhood.
Numerous newspaper accounts of the mysterious disappearance of treasure
seekers were circulated even until the 1930's. The mountains of Northern New
Mexico even today holds secrets and mysteries from the outside world.
