WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESriNOSA 195 



i6 convents of the Seraphic Father St. Francis, with a Commissary 

 General ; these are occupied in preaching and teaching the Indians, 

 and it is God's pleasure that His Divine Word bears much fruit, in 

 that all the heathen are thus being brought into this new church to 

 knowledge of our Holy Faith, which they receive and embrace with 

 excellent spirit ; they accept the catechism and baptism with great 

 fervor and increase of new Christians ; and after God, much of this 

 is due to Gov. Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, who created the 

 beginnings of this new Christianity. 



550. He relieved the city of San Miguel de Culiacan and its 

 province, which had been blockaded by the rebellion of the powerful 

 Indian chief Ayapin, who had incited the spirits of all the natives 

 of those provinces against the Christians ; he fought a battle with 

 Ayapin, and having defeated him, he hanged him and others as a 

 penalty and a warning ; and so the country quieted down and remained 

 pacified. Right afterward, in the year 1539, with aid from the Vice- 

 roy of Mexico, Don Antonio de Mendoza, he took with him Fray 

 Marcos de Niza of the Franciscan Order, with his companion Fray 

 Honorato and Esteban the Negro, and they started out from Petatlan 

 and Cuchillo, which lie 60 leagues beyond Culiacan on the Pacific 

 coast. From Petatlan they traveled 30 leagues along the same route, 

 escorted by Indians from that region and the islands lying near the 

 mainland ; and 16 leagues farther on, after traveling through unin- 

 habited country, they came to another large province of Indians 

 wearing clothing ; these informed them that at the distance of 4 suns 

 inland, where their territory ended, it became a great valley with 

 large towns of people who wore clothing, had a regular government, 

 and were wealthy, with gold vessels and gold spirals and other orna- 

 ments which they wore suspended from their ears and nostrils. 

 This valley runs for many leagues of level land, with fertile and 

 prolific side valleys ; in these they harvest quantities of corn and other 

 cereals, pumpkins and excellent melons, and other fruit in abundance ; 

 this country runs eastward. 



551. Four days' journey from this province comes that of Vacapa 

 to the N., 40 leagues inland from the Paci-fic; to one side of this 

 province there is another bordering upon it where the natives have 

 their breasts and arms painted and tattooed. Another large province 

 borders upon Vacapa, more than 25 leagues long, with many settle- 

 ments ; their natives are very intelligent and well governed ; they 

 wear cotton clothing and antelope skins which are well decorated ; 

 as jewelry they wear turquoises. At the end of the province there 

 is a splendid valley, cool and delightful ; it contains the last settlement 



