Our Catholic Heritage, Volume I

Ottr Catlzolic H eri tagc in Texas

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hunting, who are enemies of those I met in the previous 1·andzerzas. They are another nation called Teyas, all their bodies and faces tattooed. They, too, eat raw meat like the Querechos and live in the same manner." Castaneda adds: "These people are very intelligent; the women are well made and modest. They cover their whole body. They wear shoes and buskins made of tanned skin. The women wear cloaks over their small under-petticoats, with sleeves gathered up at the shoulders, all of skin." 53 This record giving probably the first description of the Indians, after whom the State was later named, deserves to be noted. It was now June. For thirty-seven days the army had been on the march from Tiguex to Cicuye, hence southeast along the Pecos to present Santa Rosa, and thence east out on the plains. They had halted repeatedly to hunt buffalo and interrogate the Indians. Their progress had been further slowed up by these herds of buffalo and the lack of water and grass for the horses. An idea of the difficulties and hardships is sug- gested by Coronado himself who says "I found myself in those plains without end, where I experienced great lack of water. Many times I drank such bad water, that it was more mud than water." 54 For several days they explored along the ravine, present Palo Duro Canyon, which was a league wide at the point it was entered, "with a little bit of a river at the bottom." Provisions were almost exhausted, there was no place from which they could be replenished, and Quivira had not been reached. Coronado decided to hold a consultation. For some time, the truthfulness of El Turco had been suspected. Ysopete, one of the other guides, had repeatedly declared that he was leading them in the wrong direction. The Indians of the plains had also said Quivira was more to the north. The Teyas, particularly, declared they were forty days from the land they were seeking, which was more to the north. These Indians explained, furthermore, that the land of Quivira was not like El Turco had described it, because its houses were of straw and buffalo hides and not of stone and mortar; that there was little or no corn; and that it was far away . The guides, however, main- tained they had lied only as to the nature of the houses, affirming many people lived there. "Because of this contradiction," declares Coronado, "and also because many of the men, who were with me had subs isted only on meat for several days, having exhausted the corn we carried 53 Coronado to the King, October 2 0, I 54 I , in Doc,muntos lneditos, III, 364; Castaneda, "Narrative," Translation in Winship, 507. 54 /bid., 365.

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