oric Indians di

d grow beans at Frijoles but the derivation of its name probably had no connection with any Indian occupation. With the coming of a new century, Spanish people were accused of living in the caves of the Rio like barbarians. This picturesque Hidden Valley was a rendezvous for cattle thieves and persons whose characters could be questioned. It was a den for robbers who greatly troubled the people

around the country, so, in 1811 the Spanish Governor ordered all its inhabitants to move out. The Canyon must have been occupied more or less continuously throughout the nineteenth century by farming groups of Spanish-Americans. And they were troubled by Indian raids from time to time until the latter part of the century. The walls of ancient caves today are pocked with nail holes. Sheepherders might have camped for a while and left initials and dates picked in the soft stone. Cow bones strewn at the base of the cliff, now dry and white and brittle with a