USA > New Mexico > Historical sketches of New Mexico : from the earliest records to the American occupation > Part 8
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unworthy of such guidance," as he piously writes Wherever he came, the Indians gave him a warm wel- come; raising triumphal arches, and furnishing from their scanty stores the best provisions that they could. So he went on, still following the line of the Gulf, for about seventy-five miles, when he was met by some Indians from the island which Cortez had visited on his voyage not long before; and also by Indians from another island, larger and more distant, who wore shells of mother-of-pearl suspended from their necks, and who told him that pearls abounded on their shores.
Here he reached the border of a desert so wide that it required four days to cross it, and which evidently formed a complete barrier to intercourse between the natives, for when he arrived on the other side and met the peo- ple there, they were greatly astonished to see him, be- cause they had never before heard of Europeans, or seen any persons who resembled the strangers. They called the Friar " Hayota," meaning " a man from heaven," and pressed him simply to touch his garments, and in every way showed their respect and veneration. In return, by means of interpreters, he endeavored to teach them of God and the Emperor, the heavenly and earthly au- thorities whom they ought to obey. As these people were poor, the travellers eagerly inquired for news of any large cities or wealthy tribes ; and were told that in the interior of the country, four or five days' journey from the base of the mountains, there was a very extensive plain, which contained a considerable number of great towns inhabited by a people who were dressed in cotton, and whose vessels were made of gold. On further in- quiry, they said that these people wore "certain round green stones hanging at their nostrils and at their ears, and that they have certain thin plates of gold where- with they scrape off their sweat," and that the precious metal was so plentiful that the walls of their temples were covered with it.
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This description was certainly sufficiently enticing, but as he wished not to be drawn so far into the interior, the Friar concluded to defer the exploration of this rich country until his return; and meantime proceeded for three days through the domain of the same tribe that he first met beyond the desert, when he arrived at a city of medium size ( " reasonable bigness " the old translation in Hakluyt expresses it), where the people received him with great hospitality, and a bountiful supply of pro- visions, of which they had abundance, as the land was very fertile. The Spaniards arrived here on the Friday before Palm Sunday, and Marcos determined to remain until after Easter, and meanwhile to obtain all possi- ble information of the surrounding country. Under- standing that the Pacific coast (South Sea) was but forty leagues distant, he sent Indian messengers by three different routes to bring to him some of the in- habitants of the main-land and the adjacent islands, in order that he might learn from them direct the facts re- garding their country. The negro, Stephen,he dispatched towards the north, with instructions to proceed fifty or sixty leagues, to see if anything of importance was to be discovered in that direction. His instructions were, if he gained any information of interest, either to return or to send an Indian messenger; and in the latter case a novel series of signs was agreed on. If the discovery "was but a mean thing, he should send me a white cross of one handful long; if it were any great matter, one of two handfuls long ; and if it were a country greater and better than New Spain, he should send me a great cross." Stephen started on his journey on Palm Sunday in the afternoon, and so prompt was he to meet the highest ex- pectation that only four days had elapsed when Friar Marcos was greatly elated by the sight of messengers returning, bringing a great cross as high as a man, and news that Stephen had met people who told him of a country which was the greatest in the world. With
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the messengers, the African sent one of the people who had visited this wonderful land, in order that the Friar might have accurate information. This Indian told him that it was a thirty days' march from the point where Stephen was to the nearest of the cities of the great nation beyond, whose country he called Cibola. In that land there were seven very great cities, all of which were ruled by one sovereign; the houses were large and built of stone and lime, the smallest being of one story surmounted by a terrace, and others of two and three stories. The palace of the ruler was four sto- ries high and very finely built. The doors of the prin- cipal houses were ornamented with many turquoises cu- riously wrought, that stone being common in that coun- try ; and the inhabitants were all well appareled. As if this was not enough, he added that beyond the Seven Cities were other provinces exceeding them in greatness and riches.
Marcos held long conversations with this man, in order to obtain all the information possible, and was more and more convinced of the truth of his statements, as he found him reasonable and intelligent. Naturally, he was eager to push on to the discovery of these wonderful regions, but he felt that he ought to await the return of the other messengers sent to the coast, and so remained several days longer at Vacupa. Meanwhile there arrived three Indians of the race called " Pintados " -on account of their being elaborately painted on the face, breast, and arms-who lived far to the east; and they corroborated all that the natives sent by Stephen had told of the glories of Cibola. Having received the report from the Pacific coast, in which we have no special interest, Marcos lost no time in setting out to overtake Stephen, taking with him the three Pintados and some other Indians, and starting on the Tuesday after Easter. He soon met other envoys from the negro, carrying a cross as large as the first, and a message beg-
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ging him to hasten on, as more recent information showed the country before them to be even greater and more marvelous than the first accounts had stated. Two days afterwards he arrived at the village at which Stephen had first heard of Cibola, and from which he had sent the first message. The negro had gone on without waiting for the Friar, but the latter found so many persons here to tell him of the country beyond that his time was well occupied. They all bore testi- mony to the same facts previously stated by the messen- gers, and added that besides the Seven Cities there were three other great kingdoms, named Marata, Acus, and Totonteac. The Indians said that they were familiar with Cibola, because they went there each year to work in the fields, and received their payment in hides and turquoises ; the latter being very common there, so that all the people wore fine and beautiful ones suspended from their ears and noses, and all the principal doors being ornamented with them. They described the dress of the men of Cibola as consisting of long gowns of cotton descending to the feet, fastened at the neck with a button and a long string, which hung down; that the sleeves were of the same size from the shoulder to the wrist, and that they wore belts of turquoise around the waist. From the description the Friar thought that these dresses must be quite similar to those of Bohemia. The women were similarly costumed, wearing gowns which reached their feet.
The people of this town showed great hospitality to Marcos, not only attending to all his wants after his ar- rival, but sending out supplies to meet him on the road. They brought their sick to him to be healed, and clustered around to touch his garments. They also brought him several "cow skins," (buffalo-hides), so admirably tanned and dressed that they appeared as if prepared by a most civilized people; and all these they told him came from Cibola. From Vacupa the Friar
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continued his journey, accompanied only by the Pin- tados, who refused to leave him, and arrived toward evening at another village where he was equally well received, and where he found another large cross, left by Stephen as a token that the news was increasingly good. This, Marcos thought, was a proper place to carry out his instructions as to taking possession of the country for the Spanish Crown, and he consequently set up two crosses, and formally made the appropriate proclamations. Thus he travelled on for five days, find- ing a succession of villages, in each of which the people vied with each other to do him honor, and finally, just before reaching a desert of which he had been told, ar- rived at a large town, beautifully situated near several small rivers, and where he was received by a great con- course of men and women wearing cotton clothing, although some were covered with well dressed buffalo- skins, which they preferred to any other material. All the people of this town were "in caconados"-that is to say, wore turquoise ornaments suspended from their noses and ears, which were called " cacona." At their head were the chief of the community and two of his brothers, all exceedingly well dressed in cotton fabrics, and ornamented with caconas, and collars or necklaces of turquoise. They brought to the Friar great quan- tities of game of various kinds, as well as many buffalo- skins and turquoises, but he declined them all according to the custom which he followed in all places.
Marcos himself was dressed in a kind of gray woolen cloth, then called saragosa, which Governor Coronado had sent to him. The chief, and some others of the principal men, quickly observed this, and examined the material with interest; then said to the Friar that at Totonteac there was abundance of similar stuff, of which the people of that country made their clothes. Marcos, wishing to ascertain if they really distinguished the dif- ference between cotton and wool, laughingly said that the
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material of their own clothing and his was the same. At this they seemed indignant, and said: "Thinkest thou that we are ignorant that this fabric is different from that which we wear ? Thou wilt see in Cibola all the houses full of material such as ours; but at Toton- teac there are little animals which furnish the wool from which your kind of cloth is made." This sur- prised and interested the Franciscan greatly, as it was the first information that had been received of the ex- istence of any kind of sheep in the country. On leaving this town he had to enter the desert, which would occupy four days in crossing; but even here the kindness of the natives had provided for him, for during the whole pe- riod he found at each stopping-place, whether at noon or night, bowers made for his accommodation, and pro- ^ visions prepared to meet his wants.
After passing this desert he came to a most charming valley, through which he travelled for five days, and which was everywhere cultivated like a garden. Vil- lages were scattered all through its extent, being only a league, and sometimes half a league, apart. In one of these he found some very intelligent men, from whom he learned still more of Cibola and Totonteac,-of the great houses of the former, and the sheep and woolen cloth of the latter. In particular, they spoke of the buildings, the streets, and public places of Cibola. Wishing to test their accuracy, the Friar said that it was not possible that houses could be built of the height that they had stated. Whereupon they took some earth and some ashes and wet them, and then showed how the stones were laid one on top of another, and how the building was thus constructed of alternate layers of stone and mortar, until it had arrived at its full eleva- tion. Still feigning ignorance, the Friar asked whether these men had wings so as to be able to fly to the upper stories of the edifice ?- at which they laughed heartily, and drew a picture of a ladder as well as he himself
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could have done it, explaining that by this means the upper portions were reached. Totonteac they said was built of similar houses, but better constructed, and more numerous ; it was so great a city that it might be called limitless.
Soon after passing this town Marcos met with an actual resident of Cibola, the first whom he had seen, and from him received a great deal of interesting infor- mation. The traveller describes this man as "a white man of a good complexion, of far greater capacity than the inhabitants of this valley or those which I had left, behind me." He was quite aged, and had fled from the city on account of some difficulty, but said he would re- turn with the Friar if the latter would procure his par- don. He said that the Lord of the Seven Cities lived at one of them called Ahacus, having lieutenants in charge of the others. Cibola is a very large and populous city having many fine streets and market-places; that in several places there are immense houses five stories in height, (the French version of Ternaux-Compans says " ten stories"), in which the rulers meet at certain times of the year. The houses are of stone and lime, the gates and smaller pillars of the principal residences are of turquoise, while all the household vessels and ornaments are of gold. Satisfied with modestly saying this much as to his own city, the Indian then informed Friar Marcos that all of the others of the Seven Cities were similarly built, but several were larger than Cibola, the most extensive being Ahacus the capital. Toward the southeast was situated another kingdom called Marata, with a large population, and many-storied houses, which was continually at war with the ruler of the Seven Cities. To the west was the kingdom of Totonteac, which was the greatest and most important in the world, thickly populated and very rich. Herc the people were dressed in woolen cloth like that of the Friar, only more beautiful. They were highly civilized
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and very different from those already seen. There was also another very large kingdom called Acus, which he begged Marcos not to confound with Ahacus, the city, although the names were somewhat similar. Among other things the Cibolan said that the people of his city slept on " beds raised a good height from the ground, with quilts and canopies over them, which cover the said beds." In this valley the Friar counted over a thou- sand buffalo hides, extremely well prepared, and a con- stantly increasing amount of turquoise, all of which, however, was said to come from Cibola. Here also he was shown an enormous hide, half as large again as that of the largest ox, which he was told was that of a great beast having one horn growing from the middle of his forehead, which bent down towards his breast, but has a point going straight forward, so strong that it would "break anything how strong soever it be, if he run against it;" and the natives told him that these animals were very abundant in that country.
While here, and just before reaching the borders of another desert, Marcos was met by other messengers from Stephen, with most encouraging tidings. The negro sent word that he was " very joyful," because the further he advanced the more he heard of the richness of the country, and the surer he was of the correctness of the reports. Before leaving this fertile valley and entering upon the long march across the desert which separated it from Cibola, the Friar was induced by the people to stop for three days for rest and refreshment, and to allow a number of them to prepare to accompany him on his journey. Three hundred had thus acted as an escort to Stephen, but from the multitude who pre- sented themselves for that purpose at the appointed time, Marcos selected only thirty of the wealthiest and most influential men-those who were best dressed and adorned with the greatest number of turquoise neck- laces-as companions, with a number of others as
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servants to carry provisions ; the passage across this last desert being a long and dangerous one, usually occupy- ing fifteen days. They started on this journey on the 9th of May, 1539 ; finding a broad and well beaten road, which was used for the travel to Cibola, each noon and night stopping at places where an advance party had built a temporary house for the Friar, once or twice recognizing the houses which had been similarly pre- pared for Stephen a short time before, and seeing the remains of many old ones used by former travellers.
Thus they journeyed for twelve days, full of enthu- siasm and high hopes, when they were suddenly met by an Indian who was one of those who accompanied Stephen, and was the son of one of the principal natives then with the Friar. He was covered with perspiration, nearly exhausted with fatigue, and his face was full of sadness and terror ; and after the first salutation, he told the following story : "One day, shortly before arriving at Cibola, Stephen sent the calabash, or gourd, which he carried as a mace and which had a peculiar significance, by messengers, according to his custom, in order to announce his arrival. To this gourd was attached a string of bells and two feathers, one white and the other red. When the messengers had arrived in presence of the chief who rules that city for the Sovereign, they handed him the calabash. The chief took it, but when he saw the bells, became suddenly enraged and dashed it on the ground, ordering the messengers to leave immedi- ately ; for he knew these strangers, and that they had better not enter the city, or they would all be put to death. The messengers hastened back to Stephen and reported to him what had occurred; but the negro replied that that was of no importance, for those who seemed dis- pleased at his coming always received him the best, and he continued his journey until he arrived at Cibola. At the moment when he was about to enter, he was met by a party of Indians, who took him into a large house
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just outside of the city, and forthwith despoiled him of all that he had with him, including the articles he had brought for trading purposes, some turquoises, and many other presents that he had received during the journey. HIe passed the night in this place, without anything either to eat or drink being given to himself or his com- panions, who were lodged with him. The next morn- ing the narrator, who was one of them, being very thirsty, started out of the house in order to get some water from a river which flowed near by. Soon after, he saw Stephen running away, pursued by the Cibolans, who were killing the Indians who were with the negro. As soon as the narrator saw this, he hid himself by the river, and at the first opportunity started back through the desert."
This news threw the party of the Friar into conster- nation; they began to lament and murmur against their leader, so that he tells us he began to fear for his life ; but he quaintly adds: "I did not fear so much the loss of my own life as that I should not be able to re- turn to give information of the greatness of that country where our Lord God might be glorified." With a keen insight into human nature, he forthwith opened some of the packages of goods which he had brought for traffic, and distributed the contents among the principal men, telling them not to fear but to go forward. This they consented to do; but when within a days' journey of Cibola they met two other Indians who had ac- companied Stephen, bloody and covered with wounds. These told the same story as the first comer, as to the capture and attempted escape of Stephen. They had been among those who were with him at the time, when a great multitude of natives had pursued them, killed some and wounded all; but they had fortunately escaped and lain concealed all day thereafter, hearing much noise, and seeing crowds on the walls of the city, but neither seeing nor hearing more of Stephen, so that in
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their own language, " We think they have shot him to death, as they have done all the rest who went with him, so that none are escaped but we only." The news of the death of so many relatives and friends roused the indignation of the Indians almost to frenzy, and soon the Friar was informed by a trusty servant, named Marcos, whom he had brought from Mexico, that they were conspiring to kill him, as they felt that through him and Stephen their fathers and brothers had been slain, and that they were liable through the same means to meet similar destruction. Friar Marcos tried the same method as before to pacify them, distributing many of the most beautiful and fascinating articles, and succeeded to some extent, and then endeavored to pre- vail on some of them to go on towards the city so as at least to get further news of the fate of Stephen; but this they absolutely refused to do. Then he told them that God would surely punish the men of Cibola, and that the Spanish Viceroy would speedily send an army to chastise the city when he should learn the news of the death of Stephen; but they only replied that that was not possible, for no people could withstand the power of Cibola.
By this time Marcos was convinced of the impossi- bility of forcing an entrance into the city or visiting it peaceably, and so concluded to make as thorough an examination of it as he could from without. So he told his followers that he proposed to see it at all events, but not one would accompany him. Finally, when they saw him actually start alone, two of the cniets consented to join him; and with them and his own Indians from the south he proceeded until he was within sight of the long-looked-for city. He found that it was situated "on a plain at the foot of a round hill, and maketh show to be a fair city, and better seated than any that I have seen in these parts. The houses are builded in order, according as the Indians told me, all made of stone,
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with divers stories, and flat roofs, as far as I could discern from the mountain, whither I ascended to view the city. The people are somewhat white ; they wear ap- parel and lie in beds; their weapons are bows; they have emeralds and other jewels, although they esteem none so much as turquoise, wherewith they adorn the walls of the porches of their houses and their apparel and vessels, and they use them instead of money through all the country. They use vessels of gold and silver, for they have no other metal, whereof there is greater use and more abundance than in Peru." Hav- ing viewed the city, which his comrades. told him was the least of the "Seven Cities," the Friar named the country"El Nuevo Reyno de San Francisco ;" "and there- upon," he says, "I made a great heap of stones by the aid of the Indians, and on the top thereof I set up a small, slender cross, because I lacked means to make a greater, and said that I set up that cross and heap in the name of the most honorable Lord Don Antonio de Mendoza, Viceroy and Captain-General of New Spain, for the Em- peror, our lord, in token of possession." Not satisfied with thus formally annexing the City of Cibola itself to the Spanish dominion, De Niza further solemnly declared that the possession which he then took was "also of the 'Seven Cities,' and of the Kingdoms of Totonteac, of Acus, and of Marata."
Having thus at any rate formally accomplished great political things, and having really penetrated to a region theretofore unseen by European eyes, he turned his back on Cibola and hastened to overtake the little army which had accompanied him on his march across the desert, and which was now moving, as he expressed it, "with more fear than victuals." Here he had an opportu- nity of learning very soon the old lesson, that the consid- eration in which a man is held is largely proportioned to his success, for as he briefly puts it, "I was not made so much of as before." Indeed, when
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he arrived at the town of the valley, whence his companions and those of Stephen had come, he was afraid of his life on account of the great lamentation made by both men and women over the loss of the slain and missing ; and so " with fear," he says, "I hastened from the people of this valley and travelled ten leagues the first day, and so daily eight or ten leagues, until I had crossed the second desert." Thence he went back to San Miguel and finally to Compostella, where he found the Governor, and made a report of the wonder- ful things which he had seen and heard of. This report reduced to writing, was sent to the Viceroy, and he in turn transmitted it to the Emperor, accompanied with an account of the ill success of several more ambitious attempts to discover golden regions, and adding, “It seemeth unto all ' men that it was God's will to shut up the gate to all those who by strength of human force have gone about to attempt this enterprise, and to reveal it to a poor and barefooted Friar."
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