Coronado Subdues Revolt by Pueblos, Turns Attention East
Native Guide Leads Spanish Party Astray

By Miguel Encinias
For the Journal
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's right-hand man, Garcia Lopez de Cardenas, apparently grew tired of having to do most of the dirty work and probably was exhausted after leading the battle at Arenal Pueblo (north of today's Albuquerque).
Cardenas was the officer who led the army in subduing the Pueblo of Hawikuh, near Zuni.
But now he refused a request by Coronado to punish the other pueblos involved in the Arenal uprising and instead went back to the Spanish base at Alcanfor Pueblo, near present-day Bernalillo.
About this time, the larger contingent of Spaniards following Coronado, who had stayed behind in Sonora, Mexico, finally arrived at Tiguex.
But the increased number of Spaniards did not mean the Indian resistance was not over. The people of Tiguex did not trust the Spaniards when asked to present themselves and be pardoned. Instead they gathered at the pueblo of Moho to defend themselves.
After a brief respite, Cardenas was given the task of either pursuading the Indians to surrender peacefully or leading another attack.
Cardenas chose to negotiate, but was ambushed when he accepted an offer to meet with the Indian leader the Spanish called Juan Alaman. Cardenas' guard rushed forward to rescue him, and general fighting broke out.
Coronado now advanced to take charge of the situation. He laid siege to the village of Moho, which already was suffering from a shortage of water.
The battle began in February, but there was a break in the conflict in early spring when the defenders allowed most of the women and children to leave their beleaguered village. Toward the end of March the men made a break for it, but all were either captured or killed.
The end of the revolt by Albuquerque-area pueblos now gave Coronado the time to turn his attention back to El Turco's stories of great riches to be found in the land of Quivira, his homeland to the east.
On April 23, 1541, Coronado and his full party departed Tiguex via Galisteo and headed for Cicuye (Pecos). Included among the 1,500 people were three women, named Sanchez, Paradinas and Cabellero. At this time the group had more than 6,000 sheep, cattle and horses.
Cicuye was the gateway to the great plains that would lead to the land of Quivira, according to El Turco.
After leaving Cicuye and intersecting the Rio Pecos, Coronado's group headed east into the plains and encountered its first group of nomadic Indians, the Querechos (most likely Plains Apaches) near the panhandle of modern Texas.
Those Indians advised Coronado to head due east instead of northeast. Some historians have theorized that El Turco, who was in the vanguard as guide, probably asked the Querechos to mislead the Spaniards to help get them lost.
Sopete, El Turco's companion, tried to warn the general, but Coronado did not listen.
The expedition continued eastward until it ran into Teya Indians, who accompanied the Spaniards to the barranca (Tule Canyon).
At this time the Teyas told the Spaniards they were headed in the wrong direction if they expected to find any cities.
So Coronado finally began listening to Sopete and the expedition headed to the north-northeast.
Coronado, unsure of what lay ahead, sent the bulk of the expedition back to Tiguex and continued on with only 30 mounted and 12 foot soldiers.
Sopete now became the chief guide of the small contingent, which parted from the main expedition on June 1, 1541. With them also were Fray Juan de Padilla and El Turco, as well as other natives.
The small armed unit crossed the Oklahoma Panhandle into southern Kansas and swung northeastward until it reached a river named Quivira (the Arkansas).
From there, Sopete was in familiar territory and soon encountered some of his countrymen who were out hunting.
On July 1, Coronado and his men encountered their first villages of the Wichitas. Coronado had no way of knowing it, but at the same time Hernando de Soto, who had landed in Florida from Havana, Cuba, in May 1539, was not far away as he trekked somewhere west of the Mississippi River.
After a brief ceremony declaring the Wichita Indians as subjects of the Spanish crown, Coronado continued heading north for five or six days, but didn't encounter even one city like the ones El Turco had described.
Tatarrax, the "great and rich" Quiviran king El Turco had spoken about, turned out to be a simple old man with no other riches than the copper necklaces he was wearing.
Only one Spaniard, Juan de Jaramillo, was able to visualize the potential wealth represented by the fertile tablelands and fine rivers.
Coronado was growing weary of El Turco, who had tried to convince his fellow countrymen to attack the Spaniards even though he was in chains.
Still Coronado was reluctant to punish him, but agreed to an interrogation in which El Turco admitted that he tried to lead the Spanish astray and get them killed.
For this he was executed and buried secretly because the Spaniards were afraid the natives would seek revenge.
The group immediately headed back to New Mexico, arriving at Tiguex in the middle of September.
NEXT: Heading home.

Miguel Encinias is an Albuquerque historian. His novel, "Two Lives for Oñate," has just been published by the University of New Mexico.