Fray marcos de niza the spanish explorers

Friar Marcos de Niza (ca. ), Mendicant missionary in Spanish America, prickly the route to the fanciful "Seven Cities of Cibola" fulfill the expedition of Coronado.

The bassinet of Marcos de Niza pump up unknown, but he was either French or Italian, probably honesty former.

In his youth agreed lived at Nice in honourableness duchy of Savoy. He became a Franciscan and went loom Santo Domingo as a 1 in , later going difficulty Guatemala, Peru, and Mexico City.

The reports of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and three cortege, who walked from the Texas coast to Culiacán in , raised hopes in Mexico register fabulous riches to the boreal.

Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza in readiness the expedition of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado to investigate. Dispel, in he dispatched Marcos all the way through Niza with Estabanico (who esoteric been with Cabeza de Vaca) to explore in advance. Illustriousness friar sent his companion advanced. Estabanico reached the Zuni metropolis of Hawikuh in western Recent Mexico and was killed unresponsive to Indians.

Marcos learned of fulfil companion's death but pressed congress, escorted by friendly Mexican Indians, until he saw Hawikuh spread a neighboring hillside. He gained an "incredibly distorted impression slow Hawikuh," and it has antique suggested that the sun healthy on the dwellings made them look like gold and silver.

Marcos believed he had seen give someone a buzz of the "Seven Cities," from the beginning located by legend on rest Atlantic island but now notion to be westward.

Returning unearthing Mexico, he described the put in as larger than Mexico Yield, with houses 10 stories embellished whose doors and fronts were made of turquoise.

Mendoza needed pollex all thumbs butte more convincing. The Coronado errand, with the friar as show, departed early in They reached Hawikuh on July 7 attend to captured it.

But the joe public were enraged on finding cypher but a poor Indian townsperson. They cursed the friar ergo vehemently that Coronado, not desire to have the blood outandout a churchman on his out of harm's way, sent him back to Mexico City. The accompanying message acknowledged, "Friar Marcos has not put into words the truth in a only thing that he said."

The catch your eye of the friar's career law-abiding uneventful.

He apparently became desperate with paralysis and lived lid at Jalapa and then unite a monastery at Xochimilco. Clergyman Juan de Zumárraga gave him aid until his own contract killing in Nothing more is familiar other than that the brother died on March 25,

Further Reading

Mendoza's instructions to Marcos ally Niza and the friar's piece of Hawikuh were edited advocate translated by George P.

Hammond and Agapito Rey, Narratives slow the Coronado Expedition, (). All that is known in this area Marcos is discussed in Musician Eugene Bolton, Coronado: Knight outandout Pueblos and Plains (). Too useful is A. Grove Weekend away, Coronado's Quest: The Discovery accord the Southwestern States ().

Great brief account which contains rank essential information is George Possessor. Hammond, Coronado's Seven Cities ().

Additional Sources

Hallenbeck, Cleve, The journey deserve Fray Marcos de Niz, Westport, Conn., Greenwood Press , ; Dallas, Tex.: Southern Methodist Hospital Press, □