The Coronado Expedition, 1540-1542.: Excerpted from the Fourteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1892-1893, Part 1.Winship, George Parker
History
The Coronado Expedition, 1540-1542.: Excerpted from the Fourteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1892-1893, Part 1.
Winship, George Parker
Coronado, Francisco Vásquez de, 1510-1554; Southwest, New -- Description and travel
Francisco Vazquez obtained an account from some Indians who were
found in this village of Cicuique, which, if it had been true, was
of the richest thing that has been found in the Indies. The Indian
who gave the news and the account came from a village called Harale,
300 leagues east of this river. He gave such a clear account of what
he told, as if it was true and he had seen it, that it seemed plain
afterward that it was the devil who was speaking in him. Francisco
Vazquez and all of [p577] us placed much confidence in him,
although he was advised by several gentlemen not to move the whole
army, but rather to send a captain to find out what was there. He
did not wish to do this, but wanted to take every one, and even to
send Don Pedro de Tobar to the Hearts for half the men who were in
that village. So he started with the whole army, and proceeded 150
leagues, 100 to the east and 50 to the south,[352] and the Indian
failing to make good what he had said about there being a settlement
there, and corn, with which to proceed farther, the other two guides
were asked how that was, and one confessed that what the Indian said
was a lie, except that there was a province which was called Quivira,
and that there was corn and houses of straw there, but that they were
very far off, because we had been led astray a distance from the
road. Considering this, and the small supply of food that was left,
Francisco Vazquez, after consulting with the captains, determined to
proceed with 30 of the best men who were well equipped, and that the
army should return to the river; and this was done at once. Two days
before this, Don Garcia Lopez’ horse had happened to fall with him,
and he threw his arm out of joint, from which he suffered much, and
so Don Tristan de Arellano returned to the river with the army. On
this journey they had a very hard time, because almost all of them
had nothing to eat except meat, and many suffered on this account.
They killed a world of bulls and cows, for there were days when they
brought 60 and 70 head into camp, and it was necessary to go hunting
every day, and on this account, and from not eating any corn during
all this time, the horses suffered much.
Francisco Vazquez set out across these plains in search of Quivira,
more on account of the story which had been told us at the river than
from the confidence which was placed in the guide here, and after
proceeding many days by the needle (i.e., to the north) it pleased
God that after thirty days’ march we found the river Quivira, which
is 30 leagues below the settlement. While going up the valley, we
found people who were going hunting, who were natives of Quivira.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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