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Show 142 LEADING FACTS OF NEW MEXICAN HISTORY JOURNEY TO CIBOLA 143 fully convinced that the natives of the far northern countries, which he intended to explore, should be brought into subjection ‘‘rather by the preaching of religious men than by force of arms.’’ For the purpose of carrying out his policies, the viceroy determined upon the selection of the Friar Marcos de Niza.**+ He gave orders to the governor to accompany the friar as far as the town of San Miguel de Culiacan. Strongly he impressed upon the friar the necessity of a conciliatory policy toward the natives. He was instructed to take with him the negro, Estevan. The negro was enjoined to obey implicitly the orders of the friar, who was author- efforts and arguments since made in behalf of persecuted humanity may be traced to the example and the writings of this illustrious philanthropist ?’’ The great work of Las Casas is the Historia General de las Indias. He was that there was lack of food. engaged thirty years in the preparation of this work. Herrera, copied most of his work from the manuscript of Las Casas. work, Espanoles Las Casas. Celebres, gives a good estimate of the in 1601, Quintana, in his character and life of 151 Bandelier, A. F., Contributions, p. 80: ‘‘In a letter to the emperor, relative to the journey of Fray Marcos, the viceroy, Mendoza, says: ‘Of all these preparations which I had made, I had nothing left me but a negro who came with Dorantes, a few slaves I had bought, and Indians, natives of the country, whom I had caused to be gathered. I despatched them with the Friar Marcos of Nizza and another ecclesiastic of the Order of St. Francis. These friars had long resided in the neighboring countries, were inured to hardships, experienced in matters of the Indies, conscientious, and of good morals. I requested their provincial to grant them to me. They left with Francisco Vasquez Coronado, governor of New Galicia, and went to San Miguel de Culiacan, the most remote place leagues from commanded in that Mexico. government When the some Indians whom inhabited governor I had by Spaniards, arrived given to him there and with two the hundred friars, he to act as his guides to inform the natives that your Majesty had forbidden that they should be reduced to slavery. I induced them to be no longer afraid to come back to their homes and live quietly. They had, indeed, been much ill-treated in the beginning. He told them that your Majesty had chastised the guilty ones. Ten days afterwards, these Indians returned, to the number of about four hundred, appeared before the governor, and told him that they came in behalf of all the inhabitants, to see and to know those who did them so much good, allowing them to return to their homes and plant corn; for it was a long time that they had been scattered through the mountains, hiding like wild beasts, for fear of being reduced to slavery. They added that they and their companions were ready to comply with the orders that would be given them. The governor consoled them, had supplies distributed among them, and kept three or four of their number. The priests taught these to make the sign of the cross and to pronounce the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. These people displayed much good will to learn. A few days afterwards they were sent back to their homes with the assurance that they would not be disturbed. Clothing, knives, agnus and other similar objects, which I had sent for the purpose weie given to them, and these Indians returned home well pleased, saying that any time they were rm for, they would come at once to obey the orders which they might receive. “ oe — journey of discovery was thus securely prepared, Friar Marcos, ee e negro, other slaves and Indians whom I had given to them, left, having spent twelve days in making their preparations. I had also heard of a province called Topira, situated in the heart of the mountains, and had ae the governor to take information in regard to that country. ’ Considerr of importance, I determined 9 sulliaeeaornde an mountai had arranged with the ecclesiastic on 9 town called Corazones, one hundred and ; en he reached that province, he saw, as I upon setting out in to rejoin him in the twenty leagues from stated in my letters, The mountains were so steep that he found no way of crossing them, and was compelled to return to San Miguel. So it seems that God, either through the choice that was made of the road, or the difficulty of finding a path, has opposed Himself to all those who intended to carry out the humble, bare-footed enterprise friar. with He is human power, beginning to and has penetrate reserved into the it for an interior of the country, has been very well received, as he has written below the instructions which I gave him, adding an account of everything that has happened on his last journey. I shall not continue any further on the subject and will transcribe to your Majesty what he himself has reported.’ ”’ This letter of Mendoza has no date, but it was at all events posterior to the 20th of December, 1538, and prior to September of the year following. The fray, Toribio de Paredes, writing during the year that Coronado was exploring New Mexico, better known as Motolinia, says of the journey of Fray Marcos: ‘‘In this same year, the said provincial, Fray Antonio de Ciudad Rodrigo, sent two friars by the coast of the South Sea around to the north, through Jalisco and New Galicia, with a captain who was on a voyage of discovery. As soon as they were beyond the part of that coast that is discovered, known and conquered, they met with two roads, well open and plain. The captain made the choice and went by the right-hand road that deflected towards the interior, and after a few days’ journey got into mountains so rugged that his party could not cross them, and he was obliged to turn back by the same road he had come. Of the two friars, one fell sick, and the other with two interpreters, took the road to the left that led towards the coast, finding it always open and plain, and in a few days’ march reached a country inhabited by poor people, who came out to receive him, calling him a messenger from Heaven, and as such they all touched him and kissed his garments. From day to day he was accompanied by three and four hundred persons, and sometimes by more, of whom, when it was time to eat, some went out to hunt game, of which there was an abundance, chiefly hares, rabbits and deer; and they, who are so expert in hunting, in a short time got all they wanted, and, giving first to the friar, divided among themselves what they had. In this manner he travelled more than three hundred leagues, and on nearly the whole route had notice of a country inhabited by many people who were clothed, and who have houses constructed of sod and of many stories. It is said that these people are settled on the shores of a great river, where there are enclosed villages, and at times the chiefs of those villages are at war with the others; and it is said that beyond that river there are other villages, larger and more wealthy. What they say that there are in the villages on the first shores are small cows, smaller than those of Spain, and other animals different from those of Castile; good clothing, not only of cotton, but also of wool; and that there are sheep from which that wool is taken. It is not known what kind of sheep they might be. These people use shirts and dresses with which they cover their bodies. They have shoes that cover the whole foot, a thing thus far met with nowhere else. From these villages also many turquoises are obtained, of which, and of all the other things I have mentioned here, there were some among the poor people where the friar was. Not that such objects would be produced in the lands of these poor Indians, but because they brought it from |