Coronado's Expedition Into North Initially Disappointing

By Miguel Encinias
For the Journal
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado would have been known in his Hispanic world as Vásquez. But in modern New Mexico, he's known as Coronado, so that's what we'll call him.
Coronado carved his place in U.S. history in the 1540s by being the first European to fully explore this northern portion of New Spain. In fact, his men made it all the way out to what is now eastern Kansas near the Nebraska border.
Some of the significance of Coronado's expedition is that it resulted in separating fact from myth about Cibola, the land which later would be called New Mexico. The myth of the seven fabulous cities died away, but not the fantasy that persisted about the evolved settlements along the Río Grande, then called the Río del Norte.
That siren call brought five expeditions, mostly small and illegal, before the coming of the permanent settlers with Don Juan de Oñate in 1598.
Coronado came to New Spain from the motherland with the first viceroy, Mendoza. He was a 25-year-old gentleman who had been left out of the family inheritance by the law of primogeniture. But he fared well in the New World.
Not only did he marry a rich and beautiful heiress, but he became a favorite of the viceroy. Having performed well in ventures entrusted to him, he was first appointed regidor, or councilman, of Mexico City. Then in 1538, at the early age of 28, he was appointed governor of the northernmost province of New Spain: Nueva Galicia.
This made him the logical candidate to lead the expedition north to Cibola.
Coronado's plan was to send one force straight north by land, which he would lead, and a second force by sea along the Pacific Coast, led by Hernando de Alarcon. He had hoped the two groups would find a northern sea route and be able to rendezvous at some point.
The governor lacked confidence in reports made by Fray Marcos de Niza, who in 1539 had traveled north as far as some point in Arizona, possibly near Zuni Pueblo.
So Coronado decided to send Melchor Díaz to reconnoiter the land ahead. Díaz was the alcalde who had welcomed Cabeza de Vaca and his comrades at Culiacán at the end of their trek. Diaz's assessment after a 1,500-mile circular trip was not optimistic.
So the general pushed on in April of 1540 with only a small contingent, leaving the main force under Tristan de Arellano to follow at a slower pace. Accompanying the 115 soldiers with Coronado was Francisca de Hozes and her young son. She was the wife of Alonzo Sanchez, a shoemaker turned soldier/explorer.
Viceroy Mendoza had issued orders to the expedition to treat the natives as Spaniards, and specifically that the natives accompanying the expedition should not be used as porters. As a consequence, even some high-ranking soldiers were obliged to travel on foot since they had to use their spare horses to carry their belongings.
Coronado reported that the terrain encountered in the land of the Pimas was rough, but the large Sonora valley was a pleasure to cross because of its fertility and excellent sources of water.
As the group traveled up the west fork of the Sonora River to present-day Arizpe and to a point called Chichilticale, what little credibility Niza had suffered another blow.
Niza had told Coronado that it was only five leagues -- a league is about three miles -- from the South Sea (Pacific Ocean) to this area of the Sonora River, when in fact it was more than 15 days travel away. From this point, as they entered more high mountains, travel became more difficult.
The weary band had been on the trail for six months and was running out of provisions. Coronado sent his second-in-command, García López de Cardenas, ahead with 15 horsemen to scout.
As the tiny group drew near to the first village it had found in this barren, unexplored land, four natives came peacefully to meet the Spaniards.
The village, they learned, was called Hawikuh.
It was the same village where the slave Esteban, who was scouting for Niza's expedition, had met his death after insulting its residents with demands for turquoise and women; it was the same village Niza claimed to have seen from a distance before fleeing south to avoid his scout's fate. Niza had described Hawikuh as a great city, comparable to any in Spain.
Cardenas and his group waited with the four natives for the arrival of the main body. When Coronado and his group arrived, the general gave the natives gifts and told them to go back to their people to announce their arrival. Once again Coronado sent Cardenas forward.
Lulled by the friendly reception from the natives and excited by the prospects of finding a supply of food, Cardenas and his men made camp outside the village.
About midnight, the natives attacked, scattering the horses. Cardenas men held formation, repulsed the assault and retreated.
When Coronado rejoined Cardenas and together they advanced on Hawikuh, their joy at the prospect of a good meal turned to dismay.
This was no great city.
Outside the mud village, about 200 residents were drawn up in military formation, and smoke signals were rising ominously not only from Hawikuh, but from all around the general area.
NEXT: More precious than gold

Miguel Encinias is an Albuquerque historian. His novel "Two Lives for Oñate" is scheduled for publication by the University of New Mexico.