On the trail of a Spanish pioneer; the diary and itinerary of Francisco Garces (missionary priest) in his travels through Sonora, Arizona, and California, 1775-1776; translated from an official contemporaneous copy of the original Spanish manscript, and ed., with copious critical notes

On the trail of a Spanish pioneer; the diary and itinerary of Francisco Garcés (missionary priest) in his travels through Sonora, Arizona, and California, 1775-1776; translated from an official contemporaneous copy of the original Spanish manscript, and e - Page 233

5 l 8 COMMENTARY ON CORONADO. it is also the most critical study of all that relates to the itiner­ary. In this it is seen that Coronado's march from Culiacan to Cibola was practically identical with that of Friar Marcos de Niza, as outlined in my previous note w, p. 479 seq. Coronado was in fact led by the friar, who had reached Cibola the year be­fore, having been led there by the negro Stephen, who was led there by Indians who knew the way. In spite of conflicting statements of Marcos de Niza, of Coronado himself, of Casta­neda, of Jaramillo, of anybody else, this portion of the route is approximately fixed; in whatever stretches the trail may be still a little dim, it is never lost, and probably will never be materially altered from what has just now been determined by Mr. Hodge. Not less certitude attaches to Coronado's route from Cibola or Zuiii to the Rio Grande at Tiguex, at or near present Bernalillo; and the same is the happy case thence to Cicuye or Pecos, where the trouble begins, and where Mr. Hodge seems to have overcome much difficulty in a very simple and effectual manner. It is done by reading southeast for Jara-millo's " northeast," and by identifying as Rio Pecos the Rio de Cicuye over which the bridge was built, on the positive state­ment of Castaneda. I cite the paragraph in which Mr. Hodge makes this necessary correction ( p. 60): " That Jaramillo makes at least one serious error in this direc­tion is obvious, for, after stating that, if his memory did not fail him, they went in a northeasterly course from Cicuye to the river named after that pueblo ( because, as Castaneda, p. 504 [ of Winship], says, * it flowed down toward Cicuye'), they crossed it, and ' turned more to the left hand, which would be more to the northeast.' There ^ can be little room for doubt, therefore, that Jaramillo's first direction from Cicuye Village should be southeast instead of northeast, because after turn­ing more to the left from a northeasterly course, they could hardly have pursued the same course; moreover, to reach the plains from Cicuye or Pecos, why should the Spaniards have extended their march directly into the rugged mountains to