CORONADO'S MARCH. 337 



one hundred miles from Cicuye (Pecos,) and that almost in a due south 

 direction. 



Mr. Gallatin says, "Coronado appears to have proceeded as far north 

 as near the 40 of latitude," * in search of Quivira. 



Austin, quoting from him, " Quivira, (referring to that about one hun- 

 dred miles south from Santa Fe, in latitude 34 and longitude 100,) about 

 fourteen miles east of Abo, was not visited by Lieutenant Abert; but 

 its position was correctly ascertained. It is quite probable that the 

 place now known by that name was the true Quivira of the Indians at 

 the time of Coronado's expedition. But whether deceived by a treach- 

 erous Indian guide, as they assert, or having not understood what the 

 Indians meant, which is quite probable, the Spaniards gave the name 

 of Quivira to an imaginary country situated north and represented as 

 abounding in gold."t 



Now-, it is something singular that, so far as I have been able to inves- 

 tigate, there is no such place as Quivira laid down on the old maps in 

 the locality where modern maps show it namely, in latitude 34, lon- 

 gitude 100 ; but there is a place of that name laid down on these maps 

 in about latitude 40, as high as Coronado located it. I am therefore 

 inclined to believe that at the time of Coronado's expedition the former 

 Quivira did not exist. At all events, it is scarcely credible that such a 

 remarkable city as Qnivira was represented to be, so full of gold, &c., 

 situated as it was, only about fifty miles from Tiguex, the headquarters of 

 Coronado's army, and which might have been reached in two days, could 

 have been kept from the knowledge and observation of the army for 

 about a year and a half, during all the time that a portion of it was sta- 

 tioned at that place. 



Again, Gregg, (an excellent authority,) speaking of the ruins of Qui- 

 vira, remarks: " By some persons these ruins have been supposed to be 

 the remains of an ancient pueblo, or aboriginal city. That is not proba- 

 ble, however, for though the relics of aboriginal temples might possibly 

 be mistaken for those of Catholic churches, yet it is not to be presumed 

 that the Spanish coat of arms would be found sculptured and painted 

 on their facades, as is the case in more than one instance."! 



No ; I am of opinion that Coronado and his army marched just as Cas- 

 tafieda, Jaramillo, and Coronado have reported ; that is, generally in a 

 northeast direction, over extensive plains, through countless herds of 

 buffaloes and prairie-dog villages, and at length, after getting in a man- 

 ner lost, and finding, as the chronicler says, they had gone " too far 

 toward Florida,"! that is, to the eastward, and had traveled from Tiguex 

 for thirty-seven days, or a distance of between 700 and 800 miles, their 

 provisions failing them, the main body turned back to Tiguex ; and 

 Corouado, with thirty-six picked men, continued his explorations north- 

 wardly to the 40 of latitude, where he reached a province which the 

 Indians called Quivira, in which he expected to find a city containing 

 remarkable houses and stores of gold, but which turned out to be only 

 the abode of very wild Indians, who lived in miserable wigwams, anil 

 knew nothing about gold. 



* Transactions American Ethnological Society, vol. ii, p. G4. 



til. id., p. 95. 



t (Jrejjjr's Commerce of the Prairies, 2d e<l., p. 105. 



Oil some of the old maps Florida embraces all the country west of the Rio Grande 

 and south of Canada. See "Atlas Historique, par Mr. C * * * ; Avec des dissertations 

 sur 1'IIistoirc de Cliaquo 6tat, par Mr. Guendeville," before alluded to, published in 

 17;W. Again, Ilaklnyt remarks : " The name of Florida was at one time applied to all 

 that, tract of territory which extends from Canada to the Rio del Norte." (See his 

 introduction to " The Discovery and Conquest of Pern by Don Fernando de Soto," p. 10.) 

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