Great Warriors II

In 1540, two Spanish armies learned the hard way what happens when Native people were pushed too far.  In 1540, Hernando de Soto and his men were trapped in Mabila, somewhere in present-day Alabama, surrounded by angry Mississippian Natives under Tuskaloosa.  Likewise, in New Mexico, the forces of Francisco Alvarez de Coronado were battling Tiwa-speaking Puebloans on the banks of the Rio Grande near what is now Bernalillo, New Mexico.  Both of these incidents would be Native victories. The Spanish had a standard operating procedure when encountering Native peoples, capture and use as hostages any who spoke enough Spanish to act as interpreters, then demand foodstuffs, bearers and women to provide services before moving on to the next village and repeating the cycle.  Coronado had come into New Mexico seeking cities of gold.  He believed that the Zuni Hawikah, one of the pueblos believed to contain gold.  When it was found that there was no gold, a fight b...

Spanish explorers or conquistadors entered new territory for gold, glory and God, in that order.  Wealth from new lands, along with the honor of having discovered them was paramount.  And, by the way, saving the souls of the inhabitants was important, too.  Nowhere was this hierarchy of priorities more evidence than the legends of the Seven Cities of Cibola and another legend regarding Quivira.  And, like all good legends, there's some grains of truth in the tales. Legends of lost cities and the wealth that lay waiting to be discovered are as old as time.  Europeans yearned for the riches of Prestor John, a supposed Christian civilization in Africa.  Marco Polo's travels in China inspired endless speculation of the wealth of India, China and Arabia, which led to the need for a shorter route to reach these lands.  Hence the need for a Northwest Passage around the gigantic landmass that is North America.  Having encountered North America mere...