Chapter II. 

 MODERN PUEBLOS. 



Exploration. 



In the first half of the sixteenth century the suc- 

 cessors of Cortes were extending the rule of Spain 

 beyond the Valley of Mexico. Antonio de Mendoza 

 was the viceroy of Mexico, and Xuno de Guzman had 

 explored the Gulf of CaUfornia and organized its eastern 

 shore into the province of New Galicia. Narvaez with 

 a considerable company had sailed from Cuba with the 

 purpose of taking possession of the region about the 

 mouth of the Rio Grande. The party was landed 

 much too far east but painfully made their way west- 

 ward, finally building small vessels in which they 

 attempted in vain to sail to their destination. 



Cabeza de Vaca. Eight years later, in 1536, Cabeza 

 de Vaca, the treasurer of this ill-fated expedition, 

 accompanied b}' two Spaniards and a Aegro named 

 Estevan, arrived in New Galicia on foot having crossed 

 Texas and Northern ]\Iexico. They had heard of 

 great ''cows" on which the natives of the vast plains 

 lived and also of seven wonderful cities of great wealth. 



5S 



