HISTORY OF ARIZONA.

'CHAPTER I. EARLY SPANISH EXPLORATIONS. ALVAR NUNEZ CABEZA DE V ACA-ANDRES Do­ RANTES--ALONZO DEL CASTILLO MALDONADO­ ESTEVAN-N ARV AEZ--INDIANs-AVAVARES - 'FAITH CURES--RoUTE OF DE VACA-'{(COW (JOUNTRy"-DON JOSEPH DE BAsgoNZALES-' ~L MORo---(INSCRIPTION ROCK). The journey of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and his companions, Andres Dorantes, Alonzo del Castillo Maldonado, and Estevan, the Arab negro slave of Dorantes, across the continent from near what is now Galveston, Texas, to Culiacan and San Miguel, a few miles from the Pacific coast, as published in the Relacion of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, and translated by Fanny Bandelier, with an introduction by Ad. F. Bandelier, is a story full of romance and ad­ venture, exceeded by none of the early Spanish explorers. These men were the sole survivors of the Narvaez expedition of four hundred men and eighty horses which, in February, 1528, sailed from th~ coast of Cuba to explore the peninsula of FlorIda. All the rest lost their lives at the ha!lds of hostile Indian tribes, by disease, or by shIpwreck. D~ Vaca and his companions were held as captlves by the Indians on the eastern coast of 1 (1) 2 H ISTORY OF ARIZONA. EARLY SPANISH EXPLORATIOKS. 3 Texas for several years, when they effected their covered him, breathed upon him and p~ayed the escape. After their escape from the hostile Lord to restore him to health. Accordmg to the Indians, they ·came upon another tribe called the Indians' story: "he who had been dead, and for Avavares, by whom they were r eceived with the whom I wrought before them, had got up whole greatest of kindness, being honored as great and walked, had eaten and spoken with them, and medicine men. 'Castillo seems to have been a that all to whom I had ministered were well and wonderful healer. His first cure was to relieve much pleased. " an Indian of a pain in his head, by making the At another time a man was brought to him sign of the cross and commending the Indian to badly wounded. 'The head of an arrow was im­ ~od. At one time five sick persons were brought bedded in his flesh. Cabeza de Vaca cut out the mto the camp, and the I ndians insisted that Cas­ arrow, sewed up the wound with stitches, which tillo should cure them of their ills. At sunset he cut the next day, after which the Indian was he pronounced a blessing over the sick, and all fully restored to health. the Christians united in a prayer to God, asking When the S.paniards left one tribe, they were him to restore the sick to health, and on the fol­ accompanied by Indians, who promulgated to lowing morning there was not a sick person the next tribe the wonderful powers of these among them. demi-gods, or "Children of the Sun," as they B y such acts as these the Spaniards estab­ were called. They were received with open arms lished a reputation as healers, and they, them­ by all of the natives, and when they reached the selves, were impressed with the belief that the Valle de los Corazones, the "Village of the blessings of Go d were resting upon them, and Hearts, " their commissary was supplied with six that they would, in due time, again reach the con­ hundred deer hearts. fines of civilization. When they reached the Pacific coast where the 'The Spaniards remained among these Indians Indians, probably the Opata and Pima tribes eight months, going naked during the day, and showed .signs of civilization, living in houses cov~ covering themselves with deer skins at night. ered WIth straw, wearing ,cotton clothes and Alvar NuiiezCabeza de Vaca also developed the dressed skins, with belts and ornaments of stone scientific art of healing. One day Castillo was and cultivating their fields, but had been drive~ summoned by some I ndians to go to their lodges therefrom by the. brutal Spanish soldiery and and cure the sick, one of whom was at death's h~d taken refug~ m the mountains, de Vaca and door. 'Castillo declined to go, and de Vaca and hIS comr!1des, bemg regarded as emissaries from the negro Estevan went in his stead. Arriving the AlmIghty, exercised such power over these ~tutored savages that, at their bidding, the I n­ at the lodges the Indians declared that the sick dians returned to their deserted habitations, and man was dead. De Vaca removed the mat that 4 HISTORY OF ARIZONA. EARLY SPANISH EXPLORATIONS• . 5 began again to cultivate their fields, the assur­ ance being given them by de Vaca and his com­ Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and while there is , ome doubt as to the exact course of the expedi­ panions that henceforth they would suffer no tion and whether it ever touched any portion of harm at the hands of the Spaniards. the State of New Mexico in its westward journey, There is some doubt a.s to the route pursued there is no question as to the fact that it never, by AlvaI' Nuiiez Cabeza de Vaca and hiS' com­ at any time, came within the boundaries of what panions. Twitchell, in his History of New i now the State of Arizona. Mexico, contends that they crossed the Rio Cabeza de Vaca must have been a man of great Grande about fifty or sixty miles above the pres­ determination and force of character. Never, ent town of EI Paso, thence traveled west to at any time, did he despair, but, with hi's three within about the 'same distance of what is now rompanions, forced his way across the continent. the eastern border of the State of Arizona, then The journey was not fruitless; it was rich in ex­ going south in a, southerly direction through ploration; it gave the Spaniards the first insight Sonora to. Culiacan and San Miguel in the State into what they called the" cow (buffalo) coun­ o.f Sinaloa, Mexico. try," of the rich plains, the rivers and mountains Bandelier is very positive that they ~ever which are fully described in his "Relacion." touched New Mexico at all, but, after gOlllg a ~Vhile ~e did not claim that the country was rich little northwest from their starting point and In preCIOUS metals, yet, from other standpoints, crossing the Rio Colorado in Texas, that they it was a great acquisition to the Crown of 8pain. continued their journey in a southwesterly direc­ He also brought some confirmatory news of the tion, crossing the Pecos river just nort~ o·f its Seven Cities of the Cibola which excited' the junction with the Rio Grande and crosslllg the cupidity of the Spaniards to'such an extent that Rio Grande itself about one hundred and fifty other expeditions were formed to discover these miles south of the present town of El Paso, then cities, which were reported to have a wealth of continuing west through the Sierra Madre Moun­ gold and spver as great as that O'f the Incas of tains in Chihuahua and Sonora to the Arras and Peru. WIth the exception of the negro Este­ Mulatos Rivers, which form the headwaters of van, none ,of the companions' of Cabeza d~ Vaca . the Yaqui River, thence south to the Spanish s-et­ e~er promlllently appeared thereafter in Spanish tlements of Culiacan and Han Miguel, arriving hIstory. there on the first of April, 15·3'6, where they were AlvaI' Nunez ,Cabeza de Vaca went from Culia­ received with open arms by their fellow country­ ca~ and San MIguel to the city of Mexico, from men. whICh place he returned to 8pain making his This is the first Spanish expedition across the report to his royal master, Charl~s the Fifth. North American continent from the Atlantic Subsequently he was appointed "Governor of the 6 HISTORY OF .ARIZONA. settlements on the La Plata river, vacant since the death of Pedro de Mendoza. Reaching his post in 1541, he soon became the object of sinister intrigues on the part of his subordinates. The animosity against him broke out in 1543 in open revolt. He was seiz·ed and sent to Spain as a prisoner. His (mild) ·captivity there lasted eight years. It is asserted that he lived in Se­ villa to an advanced age, and occupied up to the time of his demise, (the date of which I have not yet been able to find), an honorable and fairly lucrative position." While the" Relacion" .of Alvar Nunez Oabeza de Vaca is the first authentic account of a journey across the North American continent, there seems to have been an earlier expedition, con­ cerning which William A. Bell in his book" New Tracks in North America" on page 205, has the following to say: "Early in the spring of 1526-ninety-four years before the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers in New England, and thirty-four years after the shores of St. 8alvador delighted the eyes of Columbus~ Don Joseph de Basgonzales crossed the center of Arizona towards the Great Canon, and penetrated at least as far as Zuni. No rec­ ord remains of this, the first expedition into the country, but the bare memento of the fact carved on the side of 'EI Moro' (Inscription Rock) ; for none of the expedition ever returned to tell of their adventures. They perished either by the hands of the Indians, or met a more miserable end amongst the labyrinths .of .chasms still further north, across which naught living but the birds can successfully pass. "