The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-10-13
Discoveries.

comfortable fortune at home and plunge
| into the desert and wilderness peopled
with savages and the home of beasts Of
prey. 1t fell to the Yankees, indeed, to
/ discover the real FL Dorado, but the daring
| Spaniards spared nothing that man holds
| dear in the search.
| The Spanish desire for discovery and
! conquest did not 60 out with the subjuga-
/ ton of the land Of Montezuma. and the
/ first Spanish viceroy of the new kingdom,
/ Don Mendoza, whose rule began in 1885,
/ cast his eyes abroad for richer fields Of
| treasure than the home of the ancient
Aztecs afforded. Rumors had reached him
/ Of cities to the north possessing fabulous
wealth in vessels Of silver and gold and in
/ ornaments Of rare and costly stones, and
/ to assure himself Of the fact he sent
monk, Friar MIA, 70 visit the Indians
dwelling in the region answering to the
present New Mexico. MIA made his trip
in 1888 and passed as fer northwsrd as the
Salinas river, or upper ella (Arizona), and
returned with his imagination filed with
the wonders and greatness Of the Seven
Cities of Cibola," which he claimed to have
discovered no of the Arizona desert.
His report would have stirred the pulses Of
an anchorite.
He told Of refugee whom he met who
related to him that "Cevola was a great
city, inhabited with great store Of people
and having many streets and market
places, and that in some parts of this city
there are certain very great houses of five
stories high, wherein the chiefs of the city
assemble themselves at certain days of the
year. He saith the houses are of lime and
of stone, according as others have told me-
before, and that the gates and small pillars
OF the principal houses are Of turqueses
(turquoisel and ell the vessels wherein they
are served and the other ornaments of
their houses were Of gold, and that the
other six cities are built like unto this,
whereof some are bigger. / fol-
lowed my way until / came within sight
of Cevola, which is situate on plain at
the foot of a round hill, and maketh show
to be fair city, and is better seated than
any that / have seen in these parts. The
houses are builced in order, according as
the Indian told me, all made Of stone, with
divers stories and fat roofs, as far as /
could discover from a mountain, whittier
assembled to view the city. The people
are somewhat white; they wear apparel
and lie in beds; their weapons are bows;
they have emeralds and other Jewels, al
though they esteem none so much as the
turqueses, wherein they adorn the walls Of
the porches of their houses and their ap-
parel and vessels, and they use them in
stead Of money through all the country.
Their apparel Is OF cotton and of OK hides
(ouffalo), and this is their most commenda-
bic and honorable apparel They use YES
sells of gold and silver, for they have no
other metal, whereof is greater use and
more abundant than in Peru"
Convinced by this glowing account of his
spy, Mendoza determined TO invade the
newer and greater FL Dorado, and gave to
his captain general, Coronado, $50 horse
men, 200 foot soldiers and 500 Mexican In
dams to man the expedition
The march began in the spring Of 1540,
and in April the several detachments rem
dezvoused at Cuhacan, on the coast near the
mouth Of the Gulf OF California. On the 22d
of April Coronado, with 60 horsemen and
the monk for a guide, set out in advance
on the route to the famed Seven Cities"
His course was almost direct north until
he crossed the thirty-second parallel (the
present Mexican border, then tended west
across the ella river and afterward north
east. He encountered the great desert
region in the heat of summer and found
no grass for his animals, but met with
difficult pathways TO traverse, losing horses
and men through fatigue and hunger. The
men died from the poison of herbs taken
in lieu of food. After trying march
through the mountains Of central Arizona
there burst upon the travellers the green
pastures and sweet waters of the region
along the Little Colorado river. Here
were found, besides grass like that Of Cas-
tile" in old Spain, nut trees, mulberries
and abundance of fax
After passing Little Colorado river the
explorers drew near to the Seven Cities"
and a small force Of Indians appeared to
dispute the advance. These Coronado
quickly dispersed and then marched upon
the first city to attack it. The Indians re-
tired TO the roofs of their curiously built
houses or Pueblos, and rained down ar
rows and stones upon the daring assail-
ants. Coronado haf narrow escape and
was twice knocked from his horse. The !