TRANSLATION OF THE NARRATIVE OF JARAMILLO 



Account given by Captain Juan Jaramillo of the Journey 

 which he made to the new country, on which francisco 

 Vazquez Coronado was the General. 1 



We started from Mexico, going' directly to Compostela, the whole way 

 populated and at peace, the direction being west, and the distance 112 

 leagues. From there we went to Culiacan, perhaps about 80 leagues; 

 the road is well known and much used, because there is a town inhab- 

 ited by Spaniards in the said valley of Culiacan. under the government 

 of Compostela. The 70 horsemen who went with the general went in 

 a northwesterly direction from this town. He left his army here, because 

 information had been obtained that the way was uninhabited and 

 almost the whole of it without food. He went with the said horsemen 

 to explore the route and prepare the way for those who were to follow. 

 He pursued this direction, though with some twisting, until we crossed 

 a mountain chain, where they knew about New Spain, more than 300 

 leagues distant. To this pass we gave the name of Chichilte Calli, 

 because we learned that this was what it was called, from some Indians 

 whom we left behind. 



Leaving the said valley of Culiacan, he crossed a river called Pateat- 

 lan (or Peteatlan ), which was about four days distant. We found these 

 Indians peaceful, and they gave us some few things to eat. From 

 here we went to another river called Cinaloa, which was about three 

 days from the other. Fr< mi here the general ordered ten of us horse- 

 men to make double marches, lightly equipped, until we readied the 

 stream of the Cedars (arroyo de los Cedros), and from there we were to 

 enter a break in the mountains on the right of the road and see what 

 there was in and about this. If more time should be needed for this 

 than we gained on him, he would wait for us at the said Cedros stream. 

 This was done, and all that we saw there was a few poor Indians in 

 some settled valleys like farais or estates, with sterile soil. It was 

 about five more days from the river to this stream. From there we 

 went to the river called Yaquemi, which took about three days. We 

 proceeded along a dry stream, and after three days more of marching, 

 although the dry stream lasted only for a league, we reached another 

 stream where there were some sAtled Indians, who had straw huts and 

 storehouses of corn and beans Jn\A melons. Leaving here, we went to 



■The text of this narrative is foiiintin Buckingham Smith's Florida, p. 154. from a copy made by 

 Miifm/,. and iu Facheco v Cardenas, Documentos de Indias, vol. xiv, p. 304, from the copy in llie 

 Archives of the Indies. A French translation is given in Ternaux-Conipans' Cibola volume, p. 364. 

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