Seven Cities of Gold (myth)

Cibola is the name of one of the fabled Seven Cities of gold and at the same time the overall term for this myth.

Genesis

The myth Álvar Núñez Cabeza was launched by de Vaca unintentionally into life. On his escape from captivity by Indians he crossed with his companions Alonso del Castillo, Andres Dorantes and the Moors Estevanico the North American continent from east to west. On their journey, the men met in the villages of the Pueblo Indians of people who lived in permanent houses and cultivated maize. After the march privation Cabeza de Vaca appeared and his companions this area as very wealthy. His reports were written truthfully, but were given falsified: The villages of the Pueblo Indians were seven golden cities.

In 1539, sent Antonio de Mendoza, the viceroy of New Spain, the priest Marcos de Niza from Mexico City to the north. He should be guided by the Moors Estevanico, find the cities and explore whether an expedition 's worth there. Estevanico found on this journey of death and Marcos de Niza was not close enough to the villages of the Pueblos zoom. So he could look at them from a distance. The very existence of these places was a sufficient reason for an expedition. Marcos de Niza also reported no cities of gold. His reports were also falsified.

Expedition

An expedition led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1540 was on the lookout for these cities, and reached and captured this Hawiku, one of the villages of the Zuni. Another Zuñidorf was actually called Cibola and exists today as U.S. city. After the conquest of Marcos de Niza Hawiku was almost lynched when the Spaniards found that they had conquered mud huts.

After the unsuccessful search to Coronado turned another myth, the land of gold Quivira, east of Cibola located.