ELDORADO 199 



succeeded Cortez as Viceroy, believing the accounts of 

 the friars to be true, prepared an expedition for the 

 conquest of the countries described. One body of 

 troops was sent by land and another by water. The 

 marine expedition was undertaken by two ships un- 

 der the command of Fernando de Alascon, who pro- 

 ceeded along the west coast of the Gulf of California 

 and reached the northern limit where he discovered 

 the river now called the Colorado. He ascended that 

 river some eighty leagues and then returned to Mex- 

 ico. The land forces were commanded by Francisco 

 Vasquez de Coronado. Coronado followed the course 

 described by the friar as easy, but he found it almost 

 impassable. His forces made their way over moun- 

 tains, deserts and rivers, until, they reached the long 

 looked for seven cities of Cibola (now known to be 

 the Indian pueblos of Zuni), and found a half culti- 

 vated region, thinly peopled and destitute of wealth 

 and civilization. The Spaniards took possession of 

 the country and wanted to remain and settle there, 

 but Coronado refused to acquiesce, and, naming one 

 of the towns he visited "Granada," he started for the 

 northwest in search of other countries. After wander- 

 ing through the interior for nearly two years, reach- 

 ing as far as the Missourt River, across Kansas, Cor- 

 onado returned to Mexico disappointed and disheart- 

 ened in 1542. 



In 1542 two vessels, under the command of Juan 

 Roderiguez Cabrillo, rounded Cape St. Lucas, and pro- 

 ceeded northwest along the coast as far as 38 degrees 

 and finally took refuge in a harbor of one of the Santa 

 Barbara islands. There Cabrillo died and the com- 



