CONQUEST OF CIBOLA.—DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE. 
109 
again* afar off, Its orderly as we for our lives could have done, to give their fellows under¬ 
standing how we marched and where we arrived.” As soon as he came within sight of the city 
of Cibola, (which he names Granada,) he sent messengers thither; hut they were ill treated and 
fired upon. Upon his arrival at the spot, after an attack and skirmish without the walls, Cor¬ 
onado boldly assaulted the city, which, after considerable resistance, yielded to his valor. The 
Indians fought with bows and arrows, and threw stones upon them from the walls. Coronado 
himself was twice unhorsed, hut his Spanish armor saved him. 
Entering the town, they found plenty of corn, of which they were greatly in need; several 
persons, as has been said, having starved upon the way. 
Coronado’s description of Cibola is given in his own words: “ It remaineth now to testify 
your honor of the seven cities, and of the kingdoms and provinces whereof the father provincial 
made report to your lordship; and to he brief, I can assure your honor he said the truth in 
nothing that he reported; hut all was quite contrary, saving only the names of the cities 
and great houses of stone; for although they be not wrought with turqueses, nor with lime, 
nor bricks, yet are they very excellent good houses of three or four or five lofts high, wherein 
are good lodgings and fair chambers, with ladders instead of stairs; and certain cellars under 
the ground very good and paved, which are made for winter; they are in manner like stoves; 
and the ladders which they have for their houses are all in a manner moveable and portable; 
which are taken away and set down when they please, and they are made of two pieces of wood, 
with their steps as ours be. The seven cities are seven small towns, all made with these kind 
of houses that I speak of; and they stand all within four leagues together; and they are all 
called the kingdom of Cibola, and every one of them have their particular name; and none of 
them is called Cibola, hut altogether they are called Cibola. And this town, which I call a 
city, I have named Granada; as well because it is somewhat like unto it, as also in remembrance 
of your lordship. In this town, where I now remain, there may he some 200 houses; all com¬ 
passed with walls, and I think that with the rest of the houses, which are not so walled, there 
may be together 500. There is another town, near this, which is one of the seven; and it is 
somewhat bigger than this, and another of the same bigness that this is of; and the other four 
are somewhat less; and I send them all painted to your lordship with the voyage; and the 
parchment, whereon the picture is, was found here with other parchments. The people of this 
town seem to me of reasonable stature and witty; but they seem not to be such as they should 
be, of that judgment and wit to build their houses in such sort as they are. For the most part 
they go all naked, except their private parts, which are covered; and they have painted mantles 
like those which I send unto your lordship. They have no cotton-wool growing, because the 
country is cold, yet they wear mantles thereof, as your lordship may see by the shew thereof; 
and true it is that there was found within their houses certain yarn made of cotton-wool. They 
wear their hair on their heads like those of Mexico ; and they are well nurtured and conditioned; 
and they have turqueses, I think good quantity, which with the rest of the goods which they 
had, except their corn, they had conveyed away before I came thither; for I found no women 
there, nor no youth under fifteen years old, nor no old folks above fifty; saving two or three 
old folks who staid behind to govern all the rest of the youth and men of war. There were 
found in a certain paper two pints of emeralds, and certain small stones broken, which are in 
colour somewhat like granates very bad and other stones of crystal. * * We found here cer¬ 
tain guinie cocks, but few. The Indians tell me in all these seven cities that they eat them 
not, but that they keep them only for their feathers. I believe them not, for they are excellent 
good, and greater than those of Mexico. The season which is in this country, and the tempera¬ 
ture of the air, is like that of Mexico; for sometime it is hot and sometime it raineth ; but hith¬ 
erto I never saw it rain, but once there fell a little shower with wind as they are wont to fall in 
Spain. The snow and cold are wont to be great; for so say the inhabitants of the country, and 
« Such signals by fires and smokes are practised by Indians at the present day. 
