Hernando de Alvarado
Hernando de Alvarado was a Spanish artillery captain on the Coronado expedition.
His exact life dates are not known, it is very likely that it is the younger brother of the same name of Pedro de Alvarado and Gonzalo de Alvarado . In April 1540 the Spanish conquistadors were on their way to the seven cities of Cibola with approx. 350 soldiers and officers, 300 Indians and 1000 slaves as well as approx. 1500 animals . During the attack on Hawiku , Alvarado saved the life of his commander Francisco Vásquez de Coronado . On August 29, 1540 he went on a voyage of discovery on his orders. From Hawiku he explored the area to the east of their base as the commander of 20 men. Coronado had given him eighty days to explore the area. Allegedly there should be huge numbers of "wild cows" ( American bison ) here. A few years earlier, Cabeza de Vaca had crossed this area and also reported about these "wild cows".
Alvarado passed the land of the Acoma Pueblo and the Tiguex Indians (Ta-gu). At Pueblo Cicuye ( Pecos River ) they met an Indian who the Spaniards called "El Turco" because he dressed like a Turk. Alvarado enlisted him as a guide to the herds of cows. This Indian told them incredible stories of gold and silver. These treasures should be found in abundance far to the northeast. His fairy tales greatly dampened the conquistadors' interest in the "wild cows". They would have loved to turn around and tell Coronado about the new trail of gold. But they dutifully continued their journey until they met a herd of buffalo.
See also
literature
- Hubert Howe Bancroft: The works of Hubert Howe Bancroft. Part XVII: History of Arizona and New Mexico, 1530-1888. History Company, San Francisco 1889. ( online )
- Hans Otto Meissner: I didn't find any gold in Arizona , ISBN 3-12-920013-4
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Alvarado, Hernando de |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | New Spanish explorer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 16th Century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 16th Century |