Nuño de Guzmán

Specifically, he asked the Virgin for the familiar Castilian roses he missed so terribly from his homeland.

At the time, Zumárraga was locked in a bitter power stru- struggle with Nuño de Guzmán, the corrupt president of the Audiencia.

Witnessing the brutal oppression of the indigenous population at the hands of the conquistadors, the bishop knew a revolt was brewing.

Having not yet formally consecrated before leaving New Spain, his authority was continuously challenged by secular Spanish authorities eager to exploit the local populace.

The Spanish rulers fervently fought against the Reformation sweeping across Europe.

In New Spain, the Catholic Church's early missionary efforts were considerably struggling with few converts in spite of mammoth evangelization efforts.

The local indigenous populations were traumatized by conquest and disease, while Spanish authorities like Nuño de Guzmán were brutally abusing their power.

Bishop Zumarraga feared a total rebellion and a loss of the region.

The way they went was up through the country between the two seas, following the northern direction.

Acting on this information, Nuño de Guzmán got together nearly four hundred Spaniards and twenty thousand friendly Indians of New Spain, and as he happened to be in Mexico, he crossed Tarasca, which is in the province of Michoacán, so as to get into the region which the Indians said was to be crossed toward the North Sea, in this way getting to the country which they were looking for, which was already named the Seven Cities.

He thought, from the forty days of which the Tejo had spoken, that it would be found to be about two hundred leagues, and that they would easily be able to cross the country.

Omitting several things that occurred on this journey, as soon as they had reached the province of Culiacán, where his government ended and where the new kingdom of Galicia is now, they tried to cross the country, but found the difficulties very great, because the mountain chains which are near the sea are so rough that it was impossible, after great labor, to find a passageway in that region.

His whole army had to stay in the district of Culiacán for so long on this account that some rich men who were with him, who had possessions in Mexico, changed their minds, and every day became more anxious to return.

Besides this, Nuño de Guzmán received word that the Marquis of the Valley, Don Fernando Cortés,

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This history describes the only and comparatively meager results of the expedition undertaken by Pánfilo de Narváez in Fifteen Twenty-Seven and an outcome which had nothing more to do with Narváez and his ill conducted scheme.

Yet it is certain that the appearance of Cabeza de Vaca and his fellow sufferers at Culiacán and their statements directed the attention of the Spanish authorities at the young city of Mexico to the north more than the reports about the Seven Cities and the raids which Nuño de Guzmán had made in that direction.

Nevertheless, the importance of the story of Cabeza de Vaca must not be overestimated.

A perusal of the narrative shows that the forlorn wanderers were not, as it has long been admitted, the discoverers of New Mexico.

This history describes the only and comparatively meager results of the expedition undertaken by Pánfilo de Narváez in fifteen twenty-seven, and an outcome which had nothing more to do with Narváez and his ill conducted scheme.

Yet it is certain that the appearance of Cabeza De Vaca and his fellow sufferers at Culiacán and their statements directed the attention of the Spanish authorities at the young city of Mexico to the north more than the reports about the Seven Cities and the raids which Nuño de Guzmán had made in that direction.

Nevertheless, the importance of the story of Cabeza De Vaca must not be overestimated.

A perusal of the narrative shows that the forlorn wanderers were not, as it has long been admitted, the discoverers of New Mexico.

Chapter one of the province of Culiacán and of its habits and customs.

Culiacán is the last place in the new kingdom of Galicia, and was the first settlement made by Nuño de Guzmán when he conquered this kingdom.

It is two hundred and ten leagues west of Mexico.

In this province there are three chief languages, besides other related dialects.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Sue Anderson.

the journey of alvar nunez cabeza de vaca and his companions from florida to the pacific fifteen twenty eight fifteen thirty six translated by fanny bandelier introduction this volume offers the original narrative of the first white man to cross north america the remarkable journey of alvar nunez cabeza de vaca andres dorantes alonso del castillo maldonado and the moore estevanico from florida to northwestern mexico sonora and sinaloa near the pacific coast antedates the expeditions of coronado and de soto whose histories have already been published in the trail makers nevertheless it is proper to publish his narrative later compared with either of them the journey of cabeza de vaca and his companions is an episode important an incident brought about by a disastrous failure this history describes the only and comparatively meager results of the expedition undertaken by panfilo de narvaez in fifteen twenty seven and an outcome which had nothing more to do with narvaez and his ill-conducted scheme Yet it is certain that the appearance of Cabeza de Vaca and his fellow sufferers at Culiacan and their statements directed the attention of the Spanish authorities at the young city of Mexico to the north, more than the reports about the seven cities and the raids which Nuno de Guzman had made in that direction.

Nevertheless, the importance of the story of Cabeza de Vaca must not be overestimated.

a perusal of the narrative shows that the forlorn wanderers were not as it has long been admitted the discoverers of new mexico they never saw nor do they claim to have seen any of the so-called pueblos they only heard of them in a more or less confused manner on the other hand more precise than their information on this point is what they said about the plains their indians and it seems above all doubt that the first knowledge of the american bison or buffalo is due to their descriptions on the minds of the spanish occupants of mexico especially on what may be called the floating population proportionately large at the time as everywhere in newly occupied countries the impression of the feat performed by the travelers and the tale of their unequaled sufferings produced a much greater effect than on the authorities the people saw in their reports an outline for a possible advance into the unknown beyond the picture of the country traversed was in the main not enticing but the allusion to permanent settlements beyond the unprepossessing plains was looked upon as full of promise the outcome was a moderate excitement among the adventurous and the idle and this excitement was ably taken advantage of by the Viceroy of New Spain, Don Antonio de Mendoza.

also that we asked for nothing but gave away all we were presented with meanwhile the others seemed to have no other aim than to steal what they could and never gave anything to anybody in short they recalled all our deeds and praised them highly contrasting them with the conduct of the others this they told the interpreter of the christians and made understood to the others by means of a language they have among them and by which we understood each other we call those who use that language properly which means the same as saying biscayans the references to the basque language may mean that it was as difficult to understand as that idiom for more than four hundred leagues of those we traveled we found this language in use and the only one among them over that extent of country finally we never could convince the indians that we belonged to the other christians and only with much trouble and insistency could we prevail upon them to go home we recommended to them to rest easy and settle again in their villages tilling and planting their fields as usual which from lying waste were overgrown with shrubbery while it is beyond all doubt the best land in these indies the most fertile and productive of food where they raise three crops every year it has an abundance of fruit very handsome rivers and other waters of good virtues there are many evidences and traces of gold and silver the inhabitants are well conditioned and willingly attend to the christians that is those of the natives that are friendly they are much better inclined than the natives of mexico in short it is a country that lacks nothing to make it very good when the indians took leave of us they said they would do as we had told them and settle in their villages provided the christians would not interfere and so i say and affirm that if they should not do it it will be the fault of the christians after we had despatched the indians in peace and with thanks for what they had gone through with and for us the christians out of mistrust sent us to a certain alcalde cebreros who had with him two other men He took us through forests and uninhabited country in order to prevent our communicating with the Indians, in reality also to prevent us from seeing or hearing what the Christians were carrying on.

This clearly shows how the designs of men sometimes miscarry.

We went on with the idea of ensuring the liberty of the Indians, and, when we believed it to be assured, the opposite took place the spaniards had planned to fall upon those indians we had sent back in fancied security and in peace and that plan they carried out they took us through the timber for two days with no trail bewildered and without water so we all expected to die from thirst seven of our men perished and many friends whom the christians had taken along could not reach before noon the following day the place where we found water that same night we traveled with them twenty-five leagues more or less and at last came to a settlement of peaceable indians there the alcalde left us and went ahead three leagues further to a place called culiacan where melchor diaz was chief alcalde and the captain of the province as soon as the chief alcalde became informed of our arrival on the same night he came to where we were he was deeply moved and praised god for having delivered us in his great pity he spoke to us and treated us very well tendering us in his name and in behalf of the governor nuno de guzman all he had and whatever he might be able to do he appeared much grieved at the bad reception and evil treatment we had met at the hands of alcares and the others and we verily believe that had he been there at the time the things done to us and the indians would not have occurred passing the night there we were about to leave in the morning of the next day but the chief alcalde entreated us to stay he said that by remaining we would render a great service to god and to your majesty as the country was depopulated lying waste and well-nigh destroyed that the indians were hiding in the woods refusing to come out and settle again in their villages he suggested that we should have them sent for and urged them in the name of god and of your majesty to return to the plain and cultivate the soil again this struck us as difficult of execution we had none of our indians with us nor any of those who usually accompanied us and understood such matters at last we ventured to select two indians from among those held there as captives and who were from that part of the country these had been with the christians whom we first met and had seen the people that came in our company and knew through the latter of the great power and authority we exercised all through the land the miracles we had worked the cures we had performed and many other particulars with these indians we sent others from the village to jointly call those who had taken refuge in the mountains as well as those from the river of ptetlan where we had met the christians first and tell them to come as we wished to talk to them in order to insure their coming we gave the messengers one of the large gourds we had carried in our hands which were our chief insignia and tokens of great power thus provided and instructed they left and were absent seven days then they came back and with them three chiefs of those who had been in the mountains and with these were fifteen men they presented us with beads turquoises and feathers and the messengers said the people from the river whence we had started could not be found as the christians had again driven them into the wilderness melchor diaz told the interpreter to speak to the indians in our name and say that he came in the name of god who is in heaven and that we had travelled the world over for many years telling all the people we met to believe in god and serve him for he was the lord of everything upon earth who rewarded the good whereas to the bad ones he meted out eternal punishment of fire that when the good ones died he took them up to heaven where all lived forever and there was neither hunger nor thirst nor any other wants only the greatest imaginable glory but that those who would not believe in him nor obey his commandments he thrust into a huge fire beneath the earth and into the company of demons where the fire never went out but tormented them for ever moreover he said that if they became christians and served god in the manner we directed the christians would look upon them as brethren and treat them very well while we would command that no harm should be done to them neither should they be taken out of their country and the christians would become their great friends if they refused to do so then the christians would ill-treat them and carry them away into slavery to this they replied through the interpreter that they would be very good christians and serve god upon being asked whom they worshipped and to whom they offered sacrifices to whom they prayed for health and water for the fields they said to a man in heaven we asked what was his name and they said aguar and that they believed he had created the world and everything in it we again asked how they came to know this and they said their fathers and grandfathers had told them and they had known it for a very long time that water and all good things came from him we explained that this being of whom they spoke was the same we called god and that thereafter they should give him that name and worship and serve him as we commanded when they would fare very well they replied that they understood us thoroughly and would do as we had told so we bade them come out of the mountains and be at ease peaceable and settle the land again rebuilding their houses among these houses they should rear one to god placing at its entrance a cross like the one we had and when christians came they should go out to receive them with crosses in their hands in place of bows and other weapons and take the christians to their homes giving them to eat of what they had If they did so, the Christians would do them no harm, but be their friends.

They promised to do as we ordered, and the captain gave them blankets, treating them handsomely, and they went away, taking along the two captives that had acted as our messengers.