Documentary History of the Rio Grande Pueblos of New Mexico; I. Bibliographic Introduction | Page 3

the
destruction of the archives at the great Franciscan convent in the City
of Mexico in 1857, though not complete, resulted in the dispersion of
those which were not burned or torn, and the whereabouts of these
remnants are but imperfectly known. The documentary history of the
Rio Grande Pueblos, therefore, can be only tentative at present, but it is
given in the hope that it will incite further activity with the view of
increasing and correcting the data thus far obtained.
* * * * *
The report of Cabeza de Vaca, commonly designated as his
"Naufragios," is as yet the earliest printed source known with reference
to the Rio Grande Pueblos, concerning whom it imparts some vague
information. The briefness and vagueness of that information calls for
no adverse criticism, for Cabeza de Vaca plainly states that he writes of
these people from hearsay and that his information was obtained near
the mouth of the Rio Pecos in western Texas. What he afterward
learned in Sonora with respect to sedentary Indians in the north is

hardly connected with the Rio Grande region. The same may be the
case with the information obtained by Nuño de Guzman in 1530 and
alluded to by Castañeda. That Nuño de Guzman had gained some
information concerning the Pueblos seems certain, but everything
points to the Zuñi region as the one mentioned by his informant. The
same is true of the reports of Fray Marcos de Nizza and Melchor Diaz,
which clearly apply to the Zuñi Pueblos, the most easterly settlement of
sedentary Indians alluded to being the Queres pueblo of Acoma. It is to
the chroniclers of the expedition of Coronado, therefore, that we must
look for the earliest definite information concerning the Rio Grande
valley and its inhabitants.
It must be borne in mind that the expedition of Coronado was not a
mere exploration. What was expected of its leader, and indeed
peremptorily demanded, was a permanent settlement of the country.
Coronado and his men were not to return to Mexico except in
individual cases. The Viceroy Mendoza wanted to get rid of them.
Whether Coronado was a party to the secret of this plan is doubtful; the
indications are that he was not, whereas Fray Marcos of Nizza certainly
was, and perhaps was its original promoter.
The printed sources on Coronado's march may be divided into two
chronologically distinct classes, the first of which comprises documents
written in New Mexico in the years from 1540 to 1543; these reflect all
the advantages and disadvantages of the writings of eye-witnesses. The
mere fact that one had been a participant in the events which he
describes is not a guaranty of absolute reliability: his sincerity and
truthfulness may be above reproach, but his field of vision is
necessarily limited, and the personal element controls his impressions,
even against his will, hence his statements. These earliest sources
regarding Coronado consist of the letters of Coronado himself (with the
related letter of Viceroy Mendoza), and several briefer documents
written in New Mexico but without indication of their authors. The last
two letters written by Coronado alone touch upon the Rio Grande
Pueblos--those of August 3, 1540, and October 20, 1541.
As stated above, the expedition of Coronado was not designed as a

mere exploration, but rather for the purpose of establishing a permanent
settlement. Coronado's second letter, the first in which he touches upon
the Rio Grande Pueblos, appears to have been lost. His letter of
October 20, 1541, although written near the site of the present
Bernalillo, New Mexico, contains very little in regard to the Rio
Grande Pueblos.
The briefer documents pertaining to Coronado's expedition, and written
while the Spaniards were still in New Mexico, with the exception of
one (the report of the reconnoissance made by Hernando de Alvarado,
accompanied by Fray Juan de Padilla to the east) concern Zuñi almost
exclusively. The document respecting Alvarado's journey is contained
in the Coleccion de Documentos from the archives of the Indies, but is
erroneously attributed to Hernando de Soto. The celebrated
historiographer of Spain, Juan Bautista Muñoz, unacquainted with New
Mexico, its geography and ethnography, criticized it rather harshly;
nevertheless, the document is very reliable in its description of country
and people: it alludes to features which are nowhere else noticed, and
which were rediscovered by the late Frank Hamilton Cushing and
myself about twenty-eight years ago. The number of villages and
people in the Rio Grande region, of which the document gives a brief
description, are, as usual, exaggerated; and it could hardly have been
otherwise in view of a first and hasty visit, but it remains the earliest
document in which Acoma and a part of the Rio Grande valley are
treated from actual observation. The reconnoissance was made from
August to