CORONADO

As part of the effort to establish good relations with the native population, Coronado meant to trade with the Indians for provisions, not just take them by force. On the way to Cibola, the expedition ran low on rations. Coronado wrote Mendoza how they managed:

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, “… al Signor Antonio de Mendoza …,” trans. George Parker Winship, The Coronado Expedition 1540-1542, (Washington: Bureau of American Ethnology, 1896), pp. 553-4:

In the Valley of Hearts we found more people than in any part of the country …. and a large extent of tilled ground. There was no corn for food among them, but as I heard that there was some in another valley called Señora, which I did not wish to disturb by force, I sent Melchior Diaz with goods to exchange for it so as to give this to the friendly Indians whom we brought with us, and to some who had lost their animals along the way and had not been able to carry the food which they had taken from Culiacan. By the favor of Our Lord, some little corn was obtained by this trading, which relieved the friendly Indians and some Spaniards.

Regarding the natives of Quiviria (Kansas), Coronado wrote the King:

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, “… al emperador …,” trans. George Parker Winship, p 583:

… they have received no harm in any way from me or from those who went in my company.

He knew what the King wanted to hear, and tried to act accordingly.

But occasionally what his troops viewed as necessity overtook Coronado’s good intentions: At the Rio Grande River valley villages (Tiguex) north of present-day Albuquerque, for example, Camp Master Cardenas prepared lodging for the Spanish away from the pueblos. But as winter came along, he asked one of the twelve pueblos to vacate for use of the army. (Alcanfor near present-day Bernalillo) Next, the encamped army needed food and extra clothing. But so did the neighboring pueblos, and they hadn’t invited the army or provisioned for it. Though Coronado had goods to trade for food and clothing, the natives were not interested. His troops resorted to force.

Pedro de Castañeda, “Relación de la jornada de Cíbola … ,” Nacera, ~1562, trans. George Parker Winship, p.:

“Under the circumstances there was nothing the natives could do but take off their own cloaks and hand them over ….” is what one soldier wrote.

This and other incidents led to an Indian uprising that left three Spaniards and 103 of the natives accompanying the expedition dead.

Though Coronado did not mention any of this in his letter to the Emperor, news did reach him, and Coronado and Cardenas were put on trial after the expedition returned to New Spain.

Achieving the materialistic ends of the expedition seemed worth overriding diplomacy and civility when necessary. One such incident which Coronado also did not include in his letter to the Emperor was also addressed in Coronado’s trial:

Justicia, legajo 1021, pieze 4,” trans. George P. Hammond and Agapito Rey, Narratives of the Coronado Expedition 1540-1542, (Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press, 1940), p. 327:

"Francisco Vazquez was asked if, upon learning what is stated in the preceding questions, he ordered the dogs unleashed on the Indian Bigotes to force him to tell about the [source of a gold] bracelet...

He said that Fray Juan de Padilla told him that it was very important to the service of his Majesty that the truth about the rich country mentioned by [the Indian the Spanish called] the Turk be learned, that this could be found out from Bigotes, who, the Turk claimed, had [taken] the gold bracelet and jewels [from him].

Though Coronado denied permitting torture of Bigotes, historian Herbert E. Bolton, Coronado: Knight of Pueblos and Plains, (Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico Press, 1949), p. 200 concludes that he did, but adds that dog-baiting was routine in sixteenth century Europe. But this wasn’t Europe, and the tribe Bigotes belonged to wasn’t pleased.

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