310 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



"By some persons these ruins have been supposed to be the remains 

 of an ancient pueblo, or aboriginal city. This is not probable; for, 

 though the rehcs of aboriginal temples might possibly be mistaken for 

 those of Catholic churches, yet it is not presumed thatthe Spanish coat 

 of arms would be found sculptured and painted upon their facades, as 

 is the case in more than one instance. The most rational accounts 

 represent this to have been a wealthy Spanish city, before the general 

 massacre of 1680, in which calamity the inhabitants perished, — all 

 except one, as the story goes, — and that their immense treasures were 

 buried in the ruins. Some credulous adventurers have lately visited 

 the spot in search of these long'lost coffers, but as yet (]845) none 

 have been found." 



There is no indication that the escutcheon of Spain was ever sculp- 

 tured or painted on any facade about the ruins; and the facts, as re- 

 gards the style of architecture and the remains of an aqueduct, do not, 

 as is shown by this journal, agree with his statement. Mr. Gregg 

 must have described the appearance of this place from what he heard 

 about it; for on all those subjects of which he wrote from personal ob- 

 servation he is most excellent authority. 



Pedro de Castaneda accompanied Francisco Vasquez de Coronada 

 in his great expedition to the north in search of gold. He wrote a his- 

 tory of the campaign. General Vasquez de Coronada arrived in a 

 counlry which was called Qidvira, in the month of June, 1542. //'the 

 present ruins of Gran Quiviraare in a region identical with the Quivira 

 then visited, it ma}^ be of interest to state what Castaneda says of it 

 and of its inhabitants: 



"Up to that point the wliole country is only one plain; at Quivira, 

 mountains begin to be perceived. From what was seen, it appears to 

 be a well peopled country. The plants and fruits greatly resemble 

 those of Spain : plums, grapes, nuts, mulberries, rye, grass, oats, penny- 

 royal, origanum, and flax, which the natives do not cultivate, because 

 they do not understand the use of it. Their manners and customs are 

 the same as those of the Teyas; and the villages resemble those of New 

 Spain. The liouses are round, and have no walls; the stories are like 

 lofts ; the roofs are of straw. The inhabitants sleep under the roofs ; 

 and there they keep what they possess." 



The manners and customs of the Teyas, to which he hkens those of 

 the people of Quivira, are described as ii:)llows : 



"These natives are called Querechos and Teyas. They live under 

 tents of buffalo skins tanned, and subsist by the chase of these animals. 

 These nomadic Indians are braver than those of the villages; they are 

 taller, and more inured to war. They have great troops of dogs, which 

 carry their baggage ; the}^ secure it on the backs of these animals by 

 means of a girth and a little pack-saddle. When the load becomes 

 deranged, the dogs begin to bark to warn their master to adjust it. 

 These Indians live on raw meat, and drink blood ; but they do not eat 

 human flesh. Far from being evil, they are very gentle, and very 

 faithful in their friendships. They can make themselves very well un- 

 derstood by signs. They cut meat in very thin slices, and dry it in the 

 sun; tliey reduce it afterwards to a powder, to preserve it. A single 

 handful tlnown into a pot answers for a meal, lor it swells greatly. 



