Estevanico was one of the last four survivors of the Narvaez expedition, along with Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Andres Dorantes de Carranza, and Alonso del Castillo Maldonado.
15 Facts About Estevanico
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Estevanico served as a guide for the expedition, venturing ahead of the main party with a group of Sonoran Indians and trade goods.
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However, tragedy struck near Cibola when the village inhabitants attacked Estevanico, leading to his death.
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Estevanico led another 300 men, with 42 horses, north along the coast, intending to rejoin his ships at the large harbor.
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Estevanico was instructed to serve as a guide for the expedition.
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Estevanico traveled ahead of the main party with a group of Sonoran Indians and a quantity of trade goods.
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Estevanico was instructed by Fray Marcos to communicate by sending back crosses to the main party, with the size of the cross indicating the importance of his discoveries.
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One day, a cross arrived that was as tall as a person and the messengers said that Estevanico had heard reports of seven large and wealthy cities in a land to the north called Cibola.
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When Estevanico was within a day's journey of Cibola, he sent a messenger ahead to announce his arrival.
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When informed of Estevanico's impending visit, the chief of the first village angrily ordered the messenger to leave and threatened to kill anyone who came back.
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Estevanico seemed unconcerned by these threats and proceeded to Cibola.
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One of the Indians who had been with Estevanico's party managed to escape and hide nearby.
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The next morning he saw the men of Cibola chasing Estevanico and shooting arrows at him.
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Estevanico did not see what happened to the African, but others in his party were killed.
15.
Hernando Alarcon, a member of the expedition, was told that when Estevanico bragged that he had numerous armed followers nearby, the chiefs of Cibola killed him before he could reveal their location to his followers.