Spanish Explorers and Exploration
Nuno de Guzman - Expedition Abandoned - Antonio De Mendoza - Seven Cities Op Cibola - Francisco Vasquez De Coronado - Captain Melchior Diaz - Chichiltecale - Corazones (Ures) Or The Village Of The Hearts - Fight With Indians - Garcia Lopez de Cardenas - Hernando de Alvarado - Hernando de Alarcon - Colorado River - Rio del Tison - Gulf of California - Death of Melchior Diaz - Don Pedro De Tovar - Grand Canyon - Quivira - Route of Coronado - Return of Coronado.
In the year 1530, Nunc de Guzman, who was President of New Spain, had in his possession an Indian, a native of the Valley of Oxitipar, who was called Tejo by the Spaniards. This Indian said he was the son of a trader who was dead, and that when he was a boy his father had gone into the back country with fine feathers to trade for ornaments, and that when he came back, he brought a large amount of gold and silver, of which there was a large amount in that country. He went with him once or twice, and saw some very large villages which compared with Mexico and its environs. He had seen seven large towns which had streets of silver workers. It took thirty days to go there from his country, through a wilderness in which nothing grew except some very small plants about a span high.
Upon this information Nuño de Guzman gathered an army of 400 Spaniards and 20,000 of the friendly Indians of New Spain, and prepared to explore the country which was already named ''The Seven Cities."
They went as far as the province of Culiacan where his
government ended, and where the New Kingdom of Galicia then was, but on
account of the difficulties encountered in crossing the mountains, and the
discouragement of many of the capitalists interested in the expedition, and
also on account of political intrigues, this expedition was abandoned.
Six years later, Cabeza de Vaca, and his companions, came to Culiacan. They
gave Antonio de Mendoza, who had succeeded to the office of Viceroy in New
Spain, an extended account of some of the "powerful villages, four and five
stories high, of which they had heard a great deal in the countries they had
crossed, and other things very different from what turned out to be the
truth."
Upon this information, the expedition of Friar Marcos de Niza was organized,
and, as we have seen, reached the country wherein was located the Seven
Cities of Cibola, one of which he saw from a distance. Upon the return of
Friar Marcos, he gave a most glowing account of the country through which he
had passed, much of which was hearsay evidence and greatly exaggerated. The
country was described as populous and ease of access, the people, probably
the Pima Indians, from hearsay evidence, were said to have gold in plenty
out of which they manufactured their utensils. It was easy enough for Friar
Marcos to believe these stories because of his experience in Peru, where the
Indians understood the art of metal working, and it also corresponded with
the information which had been given prior to this by the Indian, Tejo.
Corona do, who was at this time Governor of New Galicia, by appointment from
Mendoza, accompanied Friar Marcos to the city of Mexico, where he gave the
Viceroy a succinct account of his travels and discoveries. Friar Marcos was,
undoubtedly, very optimistic and easily imposed upon by the Indians, who
gave such glowing accounts of the different tribes adjacent to those tribes
through which he passed, and also of the wealth of the Seven Cities of
Cibola, and, like any other optimist similarly situated, no doubt he was
over enthusiastic, consequently his statements, while not intended to be
unreliable, were, as events proved, almost entirely without foundation.
Mendoza, seeing an opportunity to add to the dominions of his Sovereign a territory as rich or richer than that of Peru, or that of the Aztecs of Mexico, lost no time in organizing an expedition for its exploration and conquest.
This expedition was organized in the year 1539, and was
placed under the charge of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, a native of
Salamanca, Spain, and of noble descent, who had already attained some
prominence as a soldier and statesman.
Friar Marcos was made a Provincial of the Franciscans, and the Franciscan
Order encouraged the expedition.
In the meantime, Captain Melchior Diaz, with a company of cavalrymen, was
sent from Culiacan to verify the reports of Friar Marcos, and the army,
composed of 300 Spaniards and 700 Indians, was gathered at Compostela, and
advanced as far as Culiacan. Diaz went north as far as Chichiltecale (Little
Red House), which was, as near as can be determined at present, about thirty
miles west from the present town of Safford upon the edge of the Apache
Reservation, where he was detained on account of heavy snows in the
mountains. From this point he sent word to Coronado that the road was very
different from what Marcos de Niza had described it; that there was but
little provisions; that the country was very sparsely settled, and that from
the point where he was it was thirty or forty days' travel through the
wilderness to the Seven Cities.
This news had a discouraging effect upon Coronado and his forces, but the
army advanced to Ures, also known as Corazones, or the Village of the
Hearts. At this place they were short of provisions, and Coronado sent an
expedition into the Sonora Valley to treat with the natives there, receiving
a small supply of corn for their immediate use, and being advised that the
country from there to Chichiltecale was barren of provisions of any kind
except game, he left the main body of his army there, and went ahead with
seventy horsemen and a few Indians to Chichiltecale, from which point they
crossed through the Apache Reservation to the first village of the Seven
Cities.
The army was in poor condition, some of the Indians and slaves had died of
starvation en route, and they were all in a famished condition, having only
two bushels of corn left.
The first city reached was "a little, crowded village, looking as if it had
been crumpled all up together. There are ranch houses in New Spain which
make a better appearance at a distance. It is a village of about 200
warriors, is three and four stories high, with the houses small and having
only a few rooms, and without a courtyard. One yard serves for each section.
The people of the whole district had collected here, for there are seven
villages in the province, and some of the others are even larger and
stronger than Cibola. These folks waited for the army, drawn up by divisions
in front of the village. When they refused to have peace on the terms the
interpreters extended to them, but appeared defiant, the 'Santiago' (the
warcry of the Spaniards) was given, and they were at once put to flight. The
Spaniards then attacked the village, which was taken with not a little
difficulty, since they held the narrow and crooked entrance."
The Indians fought with bows and arrows and from the tops of their houses
they hurled stones upon the attacking party. During the attack Coronado was
knocked down with a large stone, and his life was saved through the efforts
of Don Garcia Lopez de Cardenas and Hernando de Alvarado, who threw
themselves above him and drew him away, receiving the blows of the stones,
which were not few. In less than an hour, the village was captured and a
plentiful supply of food, which was the thing they most desired, was
discovered. After this the entire province was at peace.
Before the army left Culiacan, Hernando de Alarcon was sent in command of a
naval expedition to explore the coast and to cooperate with the land
expedition. He proceeded from Acapulco up the Gulf of California, and
discovered the Colorado River, following it up in boats quite a distance,
some authorities say beyond the junction of the Gila with the Colorado. If
he did this he makes no mention of the Gila River, and his explorations were
up the river, where he had some difficulties with the natives, which settled
the point that California was a peninsula and not an island. Waiting for
some time, he sailed for Acapulco on his return.
Friar Marcos had been sent back from Galicia with Captain Diaz and Gallego
because Coronado did not think it safe for him to stay in Cibola, seeing
that his report had turned out to be entirely false, because the kingdoms
that he had told about had not been found, nor the populous cities, nor the
wealth of gold, nor the precious stones which he had reported, nor the fine
clothes, nor other things that had been proclaimed from the pulpits."
Melchior Diaz was sent to the Village of the Hearts, with
instructions to send the balance of the army located there to Cibola, except
a guard of about 80 men, with which he was to establish a military post and
remain in command.
Juan Gallego was to go to New Spain with messages for the Viceroy, Friar
Marcos accompanying him.
Captain Diaz remained in charge of the town with his eighty men, the balance
of the army joining Coronado at Cibola, setting out about the middle of
September.
Melchior Diaz also had instructions to organize an expedition and go to the
coast to learn what had become of Alarcon and his naval expedition. He took
25 of his most efficient men upon this expedition, leaving in command Diego
de Alcaraz, who seems to have been unfitted for the place for, from the time
he was placed in command, there was nothing but mutinies and strife. Diaz
took guides and went north and west. After journeying about 150 leagues, he
came to a province of tall and strong men like giants, who were naked and
lived in large straw cabins built underground like smoke houses, with only
the straw roof above ground, which they entered at one end and came out at
the other. One cabin housed more than a hundred persons, young and old. They
ate bread cooked in ashes, as big as the large two pound loaves of Castile.
On account of the great cold they carried a great firebrand (tison) in the
hand, when going from one place to another, with which they warmed the other
hand and the body as well. On this account the large river was called the
Rio del Tison (Firebrand River). At the point where they reached the river,
it was half a league across. Here Diaz heard that there had been ships seen
at a point three days down toward the sea, and when he reached the place,
more than fifteen leagues up the river from the harbor, they found written
on a tree: ''Alarcon reached this place; there are letters at the foot of
this tree." Diaz dug up the letters and learned from them how long Alarcon
had waited for news from the army, and that he had gone back with the ships
to New Spain, because he was unable to proceed further, since this sea was a
bay, which was formed by the Isle of the Marquis, which is called
California, and that California was not an island, but a point of the
mainland forming the other side of the Gulf.
After going up the river some distance, Diaz started on his return to
Corazones, and while on his return, was killed by a lance while driving away
a dog which was worrying their sheep.
In the meantime, Coronado found out from the people of Cibola something of
their neighbors, and was informed of a province of seven villages, the same
as theirs, called "Tusayan," situated twenty-five leagues from Cibola. The
villages were high, and the people warlike.
Don Pedro de Tovar, with seventeen horsemen and three or four foot soldiers,
was sent out by Coronado to explore these villages, and entered the country
quietly, arriving after nightfall and concealing themselves on the edge of
the village. In the morning they were discovered by the natives, who came
out to meet them with bows, and shields and wooden clubs, drawn up in lines
without any confusion. They insisted that the Spaniards should not cross the
lines which they had made towards their villages.
While they were talking, some of the Spaniards attempted to cross the lines,
and, one of the natives, losing control of himself, struck a horse on the
cheek of the bridle with his club, and, urged by Friar John, who accompanied
them, the Spaniards gave the cry of "Santiago" and attacked so suddenly,
that they ran down many of the Indians, and the others fled to the town in
confusion, when the people of the town came out with presents, asking for
peace. The captain established his headquarters near the village, and the
natives came forward peacefully, saying they had come to give in the
submission of the whole province, and. wanted him to be friends with them
and to accept the presents which they offered him which were some cotton
cloth, not much, because they did not make it in that district. They also
gave him dressed skins, corn meal, pine nuts, corn and birds of the country.
Afterwards they presented some turquoises, but not many. The people of the
whole district came together that day and submitted themselves, and they
allowed him to enter their villages freely to visit, buy, sell and barter
with them.
Like Cibola, this province was governed by an assembly of
the oldest men. They had their governors and generals. Here Tovar obtained
the information about a large river, and that several days down the river
there were some people with very large bodies. Don Pedro de Tovar was not
instructed to go further, so he returned from this expedition to Coronado,
who dispatched Don Garcia Lopez de Cardenas with about twelve companions to
go and see the river.
"He was well received when he reached Tusayan and was entertained by the
natives, who gave him guides for his journey. They started from here loaded
with provisions, for they had to go through a desert country before reaching
the inhabited region, which the Indians said was more than twenty days '
journey. After they had gone twenty days, they came to the banks of the
river. It seemed to be more than 3 or 4 leagues in an air line across to the
other bank of the stream which flowed between them. They spent three days on
this bank, looking for a passage down to the river, which looked from above
as if the water was 6 feet across, although the Indians said it was half a
league wide. It was impossible to descend, for after these three days,
Captain Melgosa and one Juan Galeras and another companion, who were the
three lightest and most agile men, made an attempt to go down at the least
difficult place and went down until those who were above them were unable to
keep sight of them. They returned about 4 o 'clock in the afternoon, not
having succeeded in reaching the bottom on account of the great difficulties
which they found, because what seemed to be easy from above was not so, but
instead was very hard and difficult. They said that they had been down about
a third of the way and that the river seemed very large from the place which
they reached, and that from what they saw, they thought the Indians had
given the width correctly. Those who stayed above had estimated that some
huge rocks on the sides of the cliffs seemed to be about as tall as a man,
but those who went down swore that when they reached these rocks, they were
bigger than the great tower of Seville. They did not go further up the
river, because they could not get water."
Thus we have, as related by Casteñada, the historian of the Coronado
expedition, a brief outline of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, at that
time called the Tison (Firebrand) River, which was discovered by Melchior
Diaz and his company.
On their return Cardenas and his companions saw some water falling over a
rock, and learned from the guides that some bunches of crystals which were
hanging there were salt, of which they gathered a quantity and brought it
back to Cibola, dividing it among those who were there. They gave a written
report of the expedition to the commanding general. The villages of that
province remained peaceful since they were never visited again, nor was any
other exploration made in that direction.
This, I think, comprises all the explorations or discoveries made by
Coronado in what is now the state of Arizona, but he extended his
explorations east, taking possession of all the Pueblo villages, which
Casteñada says were sixty-six in number, with a population of over twenty
thousand.
The army reached Tiguex, where they met an Indian whom the Spaniards called
the Turk, who told them fabulous stories of the great richness in gold and
silver of the District of Quivira, of which he claimed to be a native. An
expedition was organized to explore it under the guidance of the Indian, who
led them a wild goose chase across the plains of New Mexico, Texas and
Kansas to near the southern boundary of the State of Nebraska. Of course,
the stories of the Turk were proven false, he confessing that he had misled
Coronado at the instigation of the Indians whom he had left behind, the
intention being to lead the Spaniards into a wild country where they could
be starved out and easily captured.
The Indian, of course, was killed.
While there was no immediate advantage to the Spanish Crown in the discovery
of gold and silver, yet the expedition of Coronado was not unfruitful in
ultimate results for it extended the Spanish domain in the New World over a
very wide area of country, extending, as I have said, north to near the
boundary line of Nebraska, south to within a hundred miles of Austin, in
Texas, all New Mexico, and a portion of Colorado.
Bancroft lays out a route for Coronado from Ures (Corazones, or the Village
of the Hearts), to Cibola, which would have carried him farther west through
the Pima Villages, thence northwest to within about ten miles of what is now
known as the Casa Grande, which Bancroft says Coronado may have seen. This
seems utterly improbable, however, for had the general been cognizant of
these ruins, it is hardly possible that he should not have mentioned them in
some of his official dispatches, or that they should not have been named by
Casteñada, the historian of the expedition, and others who wrote about it.
The route I have adopted is that approved by such eminent scholars as
Bandelier, Winship and others, which, commencing at Ures, went northeast,
following the course of the Sonora River, entering Arizona about fifty miles
from its eastern boundary. After entering Arizona, Coronado followed the
course of the San Pedro River for some leagues, and then branched off to the
northeast, passing through ''The Wilderness," now the Apache Reservation,
turning still more to the east at the site of Fort Apache, and thence across
the New Mexican line to the Seven Cities of Cibola, or the Zuni villages.
"In the spring of 1542, Coronado started back with his men to Cibola-Zuni,
through the rough mountain passages of the Gulf of California, and so on
down to the city of Mexico, where he arrived in the early autumn, 'very sad
and very weary, completely worn out and shamefaced."
Utterly unconscious that he had written his name among the immortals, he
resigned from the governorship and retired to his estates. There is no
further mention of his name in the annals of New Spain.
Notes About Book:
Source: History Of Arizona Volume 1, By Thomas Edwin Farish, 1915, Printed
and Published by Direction of the Second Legislature of the State of
Arizona, A. D.
Notes about Online Publication: This manuscript has been ocr'd and heavily
edited. Many of the Native American words have been reproduced as clearly as
online publication will allow us, but not all are exactly the way they were
in the original work. The structure of this manuscript has been changed to
allow better online presentation.
