14 CHANNEL ISLANDS OF CALIFORNIA 



"They reached a bay, a good arrangement of the land twelve 

 leagues north, away from the mainland. It is called Isle of 

 Santa Catarina [Santa Catalina]; and before reaching it they 

 espied another greater one, southwest of this of Santa Catarina. 

 The inhabitants of the island made great rejoicings over the 

 arrival of the Spaniards. They are fishermen, using boats of 

 boards; the prows and poops high and the middle very low. 

 Some will hold more than twenty persons. There are many 

 sea-Uons, the which the Indians hunt for food; and with the 

 tanned skins they all cover themselves, men and women, and 

 it is their usual protection. The women are very handsome 

 and decent. The children are white and ruddy, and very 

 smiling. Of these Indians, many wished to come with the 

 Spaniards; they are so loving as all this. From here follows a 

 line of islands, straight and orderly, at four to six leagues from 

 one to another. The length of all these islands is one hundred 

 leagues. All have communication with one another, and also 

 with the mainland." 



An interesting map shows the exact route of Fran- 

 cisco Vasquez Coronado (a friend and confidant of 

 Antonio de Mendoza, first viceroy of Spain), on his 

 famous expedition to the "seven cities." There were 

 two hundred picked mounted lancers, many in armor; 

 and in the train were a thousand men of various nation- 

 alities; and all in all, over one thousand horses — a 

 splendid force for the time (1540). Coronado had 

 been led to make the expedition by rumors of vast 

 wealth in the alleged "seven cities" of Cibola, which 

 were supposed to be the depositories of vast stores of 

 gold and silver. What the feelings of Coronado were 

 when he found the famous "seven cities" to be mere 

 adobe pueblos, undoubtedly like those of Zuni to-day, 

 can better be imagined than described. After a fierce 

 engagement he captured Cibola-Zufii, and, finding 

 notliing of value but corn, he continued on to the 



