562 THE CORONADO EXPEDITION, 1540-1542 [ETH.ASir.14 



or provinces or cities. They tell me about seven cities which are at a 

 considerable distance, which are like these, except that the houses 

 there are not like these, but are made of earth | adobe], and small, 

 and that they raise much cottou there. The first of these four places 

 about which they know is called, they say, Tucano. They could not 

 tell me much about the others. I do not believe that they tell me the 

 truth, because they think that I shall soon have to depart from them 

 and return home. But they will quickly rind that they are deceived 

 in this. I sent Don Pedro de Tobar there, with his company and some 

 other horsemen, to see it. I would not have dispatched this packet to 

 Your Lordship until I had learned what he found there, if I thought that 

 1 should have any news from him within twelve or fifteen days. How- 

 ever, as he will remain away at least thirty, and, considering that this 

 information is of little importance and that the cold and the rams are 

 approaching, it seemed to me that I ought to do as Your Lordship com- 

 manded me in your instructions, which is, that as soon as I arrived 

 here, I should advise you thereof, and this I do, by sending you the 

 plain narrative of what I have seen, which is bad enough, as you may 

 perceive. I have determined to send throughout all the surrounding 

 regions, in order to find out whether there is anything, and to suffer 

 every extremity before I give up this enterprise, and to serve His 

 Majesty, if I can find any way in which to do it, and not to lack in 

 diligence until Your Lordship directs me as to what I ought to do. We 

 have great need of pasture, and you should know, also, that among all 

 those who are here there is not one pound of raisins, nor sugar, nor 

 oil, nor wine, except barely half a quart, which is saved to say mass, 

 since everything is consumed, and part was lost on the way. Now, you 

 can provide us with what appears best; but if you are thinking of 

 sending us cattle, you should know that it will be necessary for them to 

 spend at least a year on the road, because they can not come in any other 

 way, nor any quicker. 1 would have liked to send to Your Lordship, 

 with this dispatch, many samples of the things which they have in this 

 country, but the trip is so long and rough that it is difficult for me to 

 do so. However, I send you twelve, small mantles, such as the people 

 of this country ordinarily wear, and a garment which seems to me to be 

 very well made. I kept it because it seemed to me to be of very good 

 workmanship, and because I do not think that anyone has ever seen in 

 these Indies any work done with a needle, unless it were done since the 

 Spaniards settled here. And I also send two cloths painted with the 

 animals which they have in this country, although, as I said, the painting 

 is very poorly done, because the artist did not spend more than one day 

 in painting it. I have seen other paintings on the walls of these houses 

 which have much better proportion and are done much better. 



I send you a cow skin, some turquoises, and two earrings of the 

 same, and fifteen of the Indian combs, 1 and some plates decorated with 

 these turquoises, and two baskets made of wicker, of which the Indians 

 have a large supply. 1 also send two rolls, such as the women usually 

 wear on their heads when they bring water from the spring, the 



1 Possibly those used in weaving. 



