Coronado’s Quest for Quivira Begins: It’s 1493 and Christopher Columbus has just made his second voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. During the next few decades, colonists are flocking to the New World and the West Indies, especially Haiti, are becoming prosperous centers of Spanish culture.

Along with the colonists came explorers who led expeditions into what is now the continental United States. Stories of riches found in the Southwest were most intriguing to those spurred by fame and fortune.

The Viceroy’s Orders

The Viceroy (governor of Spanish colonies) sent Fray Marcos de Niza and a servant named Estevanico to verify the rumors. While they were away, the Viceroy prepared an expedition which was to be led by his old friend, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado.

Marcos eventually returned claiming to have seen the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. Marcos admitted that he only saw the cities from a distant hill, but he was convinced they were more luxurious than anything found in Spain.

Captain-General Coronado Assembles His Forces

Encouraged by Marcos’ report, the Viceroy and Coronado assembled a company of nearly 300 men. According to Pedro de Castaneda, it was “the most brilliant company ever assembled in the Indies to go in search of new lands.” Coronado’s expedition began in February 1540.

The land force would be supported by a small naval squadron commanded by Admiral Hernando de Alarcon. His ships sailed the Colorado River and was supposed to meet with Coronado’s company. But Alarcon got tired of waiting for the land force to arrive and sailed home. He left a note that was later discovered by some of Coronado’s men.

Coronado’s Expedition is Off to a Slow Start

The expedition got off to a snail-paced start. It took Coronado a month to move his company about 320 miles from Compostela to Culiacan, Mexico. He quickly grew impatient and decided to press forward with a smaller, advanced force of about 100 men, a few Indians, and some cattle.

Coronado’s advanced guard moved forward in April and the remaining army would be led by Don Tristan de Arellano.

Coronado’s company made it to Hawikuh (modern-day New Mexico) by early July and Arellano’s men traveled to Corazones in the Sonora Valley (modern-day Arizona). The advanced force was visited by Indians from a nearby pueblo called Cicuye, and the leader of the Indians invited them to visit his lands.

Coronado Meets “El Turco” and the Quest for Quivira Begins

Some of Coronado’s men overwintered in in Cicuye, where they were inspired by an Indian slave who told stories of a great treasures in a land called Quivira. The Spaniards named the Indian slave “El Turco” because, according to them, he looked like a Turk.

News of El Turco’s marvelous stories eventually reached Coronado. The commander was so intrigued that he met with the Indian slave. El Turco told Coronado everything he wanted to hear. Quivira was a land where a mighty river, over five miles wide, held fish that were bigger than horses. The land was so full of riches that the humblest of people ate from fancy plates and drank from vessels of gold.

Coronado was hooked. And his famous quest for Quivira was about to begin.

 

Source:

William Frank Zornow, Kansas: A History of the Jayhawk State (Norman, 1957)