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Show TOLTECCAN. 231 ( Mexico). Thence they went to the City of Mexico, being every-where received with public demonstrations, and ending their jour-ney " on the day before the vespers of Saint James," in 1536. Vaca afterwards married a wealthy Spanish lady, and attained to consid-erable rank. In Pefia Blanca, New Mexico, lives one Don Tomas Cabeza de Vaca ( who will probably be Governor if the Territory soon becomes a State), who is the tenth in direct descent from Alvar Nunez. The next expedition into New Mexico was by Don Francisco Vas-quez Coronado, in command of some seven hundred cavaliers, in the years 1540-' 46, in search of the " Seven Cities of Cibola." At that time all this region was called by the Spaniards Cibola. This word in the Spanish lexicons is translated " A quadruped called the Mexican bull;" but in Mexico it means the buffalo. The cities Coronado went to find were said to be situated in a vast oval valley, the most fertile on earth, and walled in by mountains full of rich mines; they were paved with gold and silver, the houses lighted with precious stones, and the richest metals were in common use for domestic utensils. In short, it was the biggest kind of & bonanza. But they never found the cities, though they hunted six or seven years, and, by the right of first occupation, added to the Spanish possessions a region twelve times the size of Ohio. All this but twenty years after the conquest of Cortez, and two hundred and fifty years before the found-ing of Cincinnati. Coronado returned to the city of Mexico in disappointment and disgrace ; but with him was a gentleman and scholar named Castaneda, who wrote a very fascinating account of_ the trip, and incited others to turn explorers. He described most of the important mountains, rivers and tribes of Arizona, New Mexico and North- western Texas ; and thirty years after him, two friars led in a small missionary company, of whom all were killed by the Indians. Next came Antonio de Es-pejo, who is credited with having founded Santa Fe in 1580; and after him Don Juan de Onati, who made the first permanent settle-ments, about 1591. Other colonists followed fast, but seventy years afterwards the Pueblos, native Indians, rebelled and drove out or massacred the Spaniards. Governor Otermin and General Vargas soon carne back with a Spanish army, and by a bloody war thoroughly subjugated the Pueblos. The more warlike fled to valleys in the western mountains; the remainder settled into docile subjects of Spain, and in time became devoted Catholics. For a hundred years after the conquest miscegenation went on |
