Coronado and La Gmn Quivfra, 1537-1544
Such was the state of the northward advance upon the arrival of Don Antonio de Mendoza, the first viceroy of Mexico, in 1535. In his com- pany came a young adventurer of whose previous life little or nothing is known. This was Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, native of Salamanca, Spain, a close friend of the new viceroy, who seems to have taken special interest in advancing his fortunes. As early as 1537, Mendoza said in a letter to the king: "Who he is, what he has already done, and his personal qualities and abilities, which may be made useful in the various affairs which arise in these parts of the Indies, I have already written to Your Majesty." 3 But unfortunately this important document containing the details of the career of the future commander of the most formidable and proud expedition ever organized in North America for conquest during the sixteenth century has not been found. That same year, how- ever, the gallant young officer married Beatrice de Estrada, the comely daughter of the former royal treasurer of New Spain, who had been cruelly tortured by the unforgiving Guzman. If we are to adhere to the gossip current at that time, the young bride was a cousin by blood of the Emperor Charles V. Coronado must have made a good impression on his mother-in-law, Dona Mariana, who gave him a princely marriage gift consisting of half of Tlapa, an estate which Cortes complained later yielded more than three thousand ducats a year. At the time of the marriage this estate was being held by the officer of the king pending the investigation of the deceased Estrada. At the request of the viceroy, who declared Coronado was deserving of His Majesty' s favor , the gift was confirmed by royal grant. 4 First 11egro revolt in America. The first recorded service of Coronado, strange as it may seem, was the quelling of an attempted revolt of all the negroes in the mines at Amatepeque, who appear to have elected a king from among their number and were planning a general massacre of all the Spaniards in Mexico as early as 1537. Through the timely notice given to the viceroy, this first revolt of African slaves in America was quickly put down. The Indians, on whom the negroes counted, did not rise. The leaders were quickly arrested and about two dozen were hanged and quartered both in Mexico City and in Amatepeque, where 3 "Carta de D. Antonio de Mendoza, Virey de Nueva E spana al Emperador," December Io, 1 537, in Pacheco y Cardenas, Doc11me11tos /11editos, II, 194. 4 /bid. , II, I 94-195; Winship, op. cit., 379-380 ; Herrera, H istoria General, Dec. vi, Lib. ix, Vol. 3, p. 1 2 I.
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