Marcos de Niza

After 1375 CE, the Hohokam abandoned most villages and canal systems in the lower Salt River basin, with the complex irrigation systems falling into complete disuse between 1400 and 1450. The area continued to be occupied, but on a far smaller scale, with the few remaining villages concentrated along the Gila River.

The relocated Pueblo peoples established permanent settlements in their new territories. The Hopi, whose name means "behaving one, one who is mannered, civilized, peaceable, polite," established villages on three mesas in northeastern Arizona. Old Oraibi, founded before 1100 CE, became one of the oldest continuously inhabited villages within the territory of the United States.

The Zuni, whose culture is associated with Mogollon and Ancestral Pueblo peoples, established their settlements in western New Mexico. By the end of the 17th century, only Halona remained inhabited of the original six villages. Their descendants—the Pueblos of New Mexico, the Zuni, and the Hopi—became the inheritors of rich traditions in artistic and architectural design.

This period of consolidation ended with Spain's first contact with the Pueblo peoples in 1539, when Moorish slave Estevanico led an advance party of Fray Marcos de Niza's Spanish expedition, followed by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's expedition in 1540.

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado was born into a noble family in Salamanca, Spain, in 1510 as the second son of Juan Vázquez de Coronado y Sosa de Ulloa and Isabel de Luján.

His father had held various positions in the administration of the recently captured Emirate of Granada under Iñigo López de Mendoza, its first Spanish governor.

Coronado had gone to New Spain in 1535 at about age twenty-five, in the entourage of its first Viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza, the son of his father's patron and Coronado's personal friend.

In New Spain, he has married Beatriz de Estrada, called "the Saint" (la Santa), sister of Leonor de Estrada, ancestor of the de Alvarado family and daughter of Treasurer and Governor Alonso de Estrada y Hidalgo, Lord of Picón, and wife Marina Flores Gutiérrez de la Caballería, from a converso Jewish family.

Coronado has inherited a large portion of a Mexican estate from Beatriz and will have eight children by her.

Coronado is from 1538 the Governor of the Kingdom of Nueva Galicia (New Galicia), a province of New Spain located northwest of Mexico and comprising the contemporary Mexican states of Jalisco, Sinaloa and Nayarit.

In 1539, he dispatches Friar Marcos de Niza and Estevanico (more properly known as Estevan), a survivor of the Narváez expedition, on an expedition north from Compostela, in present-day Nayarit, toward present-day New Mexico.

Marcos de Niza, born in Nice (de Niza means of Nice in Spanish), which is at this time under the control of the Italian House of Savoy, had emigrated to America for exploration of new land, and after serving his order zealously in Peru and Guatemala, had been chosen to explore the country north of Sonora, whose wealth has been depicted in the accounts of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca.

He had arrived in Mexico City in 1537 at the request of the viceroy Antonio de Mendoza.

Preceded by the enslaved Estevanico, the Moroccan-Berber companion of Cabeza de Vaca in his wanderings and the Black Mexican of Zuni traditions, Fray Marcos leaves Culiacán in March 1539, crosses southeastern Arizona near the present-day Lochiel, penetrates to the Zuni or the Seven Cities of Cibola—actually, the relative gold-poor Zuni pueblos of Háwikuh and five or six others.

Estevanico, one of four men assigned to Fray Marcos de Niza's expedition, is the first non-native to visit Hawikuh.

Traveling ahead of the main party with a group of Sonoran natives, he has been instructed to communicate by sending back crosses to the main party, with the size of the cross equal to the wealth discovered.

One day, a cross arrives that was is tall as a person, causing de Niza to step up his pace to join the scouts.

After Estevanico enters the Zuni village of Hawikuh (in present-day New Mexico), he sends a gourd.

The Zuni tribesmen reportedly kill Estevanico and expel from the village the Mexican natives with him.

De Niza, who never enters the village but sees Cibola only from a distance, quickly returns to Culiacán in September and fabricates a wild tale of the pueblos’ rich treasures.

Some historians suggest the Zuni did not believe Estevanico's story that he represented a party of whites, and that he was killed for demanding women and turquoise.

Roberts and Roberts write that "still others suggest that Estevan, who was dark-skinned and wore feathers and rattles, may have looked like a wizard to the Zuni."

Both theories are speculation.

Juan Francisco Maura will suggest in 2002 that the Zunis did not kill Estevanico, and that he and friends among the natives faked his death so he could gain freedom from slavery.

Some folklore legends say that the Kachina figure, Chakwaina, is based on Estevanico.

Fray Marcos’ description of Cibola as equal in size to Mexico City is probably exact, but he embodies much mere hearsay in his report, Descubrimiento de las siete ciudades, which will lead Francisco Vázquez de Coronado to make his famous expedition next year to Zuni Pueblo, in present-day New Mexico, of which Fray Marcos will be the guide; the realities will prove a great disappointment.

Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan friar who, after serving his order zealously in Peru, Guatemala and Mexico, had been chosen to explore the country north of Sonora, its wealth pictured in the hearsay stories of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, an early Spanish explorer of the New World.

Preceded by Estevanico, the Moorish companion of Cabeza de Vaca in his wanderings and the Black Mexican of Zuni traditions, Fray Marcos had left Culiacán in March 1539, crossed southeastern Arizona, penetrated to the Zuni or the Seven Cities of Cibola, and in September returned to Culiacán.

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado is the conqueror and Governor of the Kingdom of Nueva Galicia (New Galicia, a province of New Spain located northwest of Mexico and comprising the contemporary Mexican states of Jalisco, Sinaloa and Nayarit).

His planned expedition in search of the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cibola and the fabled riches of Gran Quivira is better organized than that led previously by de Niza.

Coronado sets out from Compostela in February 23, 1540 at the head of a large expedition composed of 335 Spaniards, 1300 natives, four Franciscan monks (the most notable of whom are Juan de Padilla and de Niza, newly appointed as provincial superior of the Franciscan order in the New World), and several enslaved people, both natives and Africans.

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado’s expeditionary force, accompanied by Franciscan friars Marcos de Niza and Juan de Padilla, had followed the Sinaloan coast northward, keeping the Sea of Cortez to their left until they reached the northernmost Spanish settlement, San Miguel de Culiacán, about March 28, 1540.

After resting the expedition, Coronado follows the inland trail on April 22, 1540.

After crossing and passing the mountains in order to get into the level country, Coronado finds that Cíbola, as one of the legendary "Seven Cities of Gold,” is not the great golden city that Marcos had described, but merely a complex of simple pueblos constructed by the Zuni.

The soldiers consider killing Marcos for his mendacity, but Coronado intervenes and sends him back to Mexico in disgrace.

Traversing Arizona's Mogollón Rim, he continues from the headwaters of the Little Colorado until he comes to the Zuni River, following it until he finds the Zuni habitations.

The members of the expedition are almost starving and demand entrance into the village of Hawikuh, one of the largest of the Zuni pueblos, constructed around 1400.

The natives refuse, denying the expedition entrance to the village or trade.

Coronado and his frustrated soldiers enter Hawikuh on Coronado's demands, when the Spanish request intelligence and resources.

The ensuing skirmish constitutes the extent of what can be called the Spanish "Conquest of Cíbola."

Coronado is injured during the battle and has to stay with the Zuni while healing.

From the knowledge gathered during this time he sends out several more scouting expeditions, but finds neither precious metals nor jewels in any of the Zuni villages.

The Pueblo peoples encountered in 1540 by Coronado’s expedition include, in addition to the Zuni of western New Mexico, ...