The seven cities are seven small towns, all made with these kind of houses that I speak of : and they stand all within four leagues together, and they are all called the kingdom of Cibola, and every one of them have their particular name : and none of them is called Cibola, but altogether they are called Cibola. And this town which I call a city, I have named Granada, as well because it is somewhat like unto it, as also in remembrance of your lordship. In this town where I now remain, there may be some two hundred houses, all compassed with walls and I think that with the rest of the houses which are not so walled, they may be together five hundred. There is another town near this, which is one of the seven, and it is somewhat bigger than this, and another of the same bigness that this is of, and the other four are somewhat less : and I send them all painted unto your lordship with the voyage. And the parchment wherein the picture is, was found here with other parchments. The people of this town seem unto me of a reasonable stature, and witty, yet they seem not to be such as they should be, of that judgment and wit to build these houses in such sort as they are. For the most part they go all Haled, except their private parts which are covered : and they have painted mantles like those which I send unto your lordship. They have no cotton wool growing, because the country is cold, yet they wear mantles thereof as your honor may see by the show thereof : and true it is that there was found in their houses certain yarn made of cotton wool. They wear their hair on their heads like those of Mexico, and they are well nurtured and conditioned: And they have turquoise I think in good quantity, which with the rest of the goods which they had, except their corn, they had conveyed away before I came thither: for I found no women there, nor no youth under fifteen years old, nor no old folks above sixty, saving two or three old folks, who stayed behind to govern all the rest of the youth and men of war. There were found in a certain paper two points of emeralds, and certain small stones broken which are in color somewhat like granates very bad, and other stones of crystal, which I gave one of my servants to lay up to send them to your lordship, and he has lost them as he tells me. We found here Guinea cocks, but few. The Indians tell me in all these seven cities, that they eat them not, but that they keep them only for their feathers. I believe them not, for they are excellently good, and greater than those of Mexico. The season which is in this country, and the temperature of the air is like that of Mexico : for some time it is hot, and some time it rains: but hitherto I never saw it rain, but once there fell a little shower with wind, as they are wont to fall in Spain.

The snow and cold are wont to be great, for so say the inhabitants of the country: and it is very likely so to be, both in respect to the manner of the country, and by the fashion of their houses, and their furs and other things which this people have to defend them from cold. There is no kind of fruit nor trees of fruit. The country is all plain, and is on no side mountainous : albeit there are some hilly and bad passages. There are small store of fowls : the cause whereof is the cold, and because the mountains are not near. Here is no great store of wood, because they have wood for their fuel sufficient four leagues off from a wood of small cedars. There is most excellent grass, within a quarter of a league hence, for our horses as well to feed them in pasture, as to mow and make hay, whereof we stood in great need, because our horses came hither so weak and feeble. The victuals which the people of this country have, is maize whereof they have great store, and also small white peas : and venison, which by all likelihood they feed upon, (though they say no) for we found many skins of deer, of hares, and conies. They eat the best cakes that ever I saw, and everybody generally eats of them. They have the finest order and way to grind that we ever saw in any place. And one Indian woman of this country will grind as much as four women of Mexico. They have most excellent salt in kernel, which they fetch from a certain lake a day's journey from hence.

Three days after this city was taken, certain Indians of these people came to offer me peace, and brought me certain turquoise, and bad mantles, and I received them in His Majesty's name with all the good speeches that I could devise, certifying them of the purpose of my coming into this country, which is in the name of His Majesty, and by the commandment of your lordship, that they and all the rest of the people of this province should become Christians, and should know the true God for their Lord, and receive His Majesty for their King and earthly Sovereign: And herewithal they returned to their houses, and suddenly the next day they set in order all their goods and substance, their women and children, and fled to the hills, leaving their towns as it were abandoned, wherein remained very few of them. When I saw this, within eight or ten days after being recovered of my wounds, I went to the city, which I said to be greater than this where I am, and found there some few of them, to whom I said that they should not be afraid, and that they should call their governor unto me: Howbeit forasmuch as I can learn or gather, none of them have any governor: for I saw not there any chief house, whereby any preeminence of one over another might be gathered. After this an old man came, which said that he was their lord, with a piece of a mantle made of many pieces, with whom I reasoned that small while that he stayed with me, and he said that within three days after he and the rest of the chiefs of that town would come and visit me, and give order what course should be taken with them. Which they did: for they brought me certain mantles and some turquoises. I advised them to come down from their holds, and to return with their wives and children to their houses, and to become Christians, and that they would acknowledge the Emperor's majesty for their King and lord. And even to this present they keep in those strongholds their women and children, and all the goods which they have. I commanded them that they should paint me out a cloth of all the beasts which they know in their country: And such bad painters as they are, forthwith they painted me two clothes, one of their beasts, another of their birds and fishes. They say that they will bring their children, that our religious men may instruct them, and that they desire to know our law: And they assure us, that above fifty years past it was prophesied among them, that a certain people like us should come, and from that part that we came from, and that they should subdue all that country.

That which these Indians worship as far as hitherto we can learn, is the water: for they say it causes their corn to grow, and maintains their life; and that they know none other reason, but that their ancestors did so. I have sought by all means possible to learn of the inhabitants of these towns, whether they have any knowledge of other people, countries and cities: And they tell me of seven cities which are far distant from this place, which are like unto these, though they have not houses like unto these, but they are of earth, and small: and that among them much cotton is gathered. The chief of these towns whereof they have knowledge, they say is called Tucano : and they gave me no perfect knowledge of the rest. . . . I would have sent your lordship with this dispatch many musters of things which are in this country: but the way is so long and rough, that it is hard for me to do so ; nevertheless I send you twelve small mantles, such as the people of the country are wont to wear, and a certain garment also, which seems unto me to be well made: I kept the same, because it seemed to me to be excellently well wrought, because I believe that no man ever saw any needle work in these Indies, except it were since the Spaniards inhabited the same. I send your lordship also two clothes painted with the beasts of this country, although as I have said, the picture be very rudely done, because the painter spent but one day in drawing of the same. I have seen other pictures on the walls of the houses of this city with far better proportion, and better made. I send your honor one ox-hide, certain turquois, and two earrings of the same, and fifteen combs of the Indians, and certain tablets set with these turquois, and two small baskets made of wicker, whereof the Indians have great store. I send your lordship also two rolls which the women in these parts are wont to wear on their heads when they fetch water from their wells, as we use to do in Spain. And one of these Indian women with one of these rolls on her head, will carry a pitcher of water without touching the same with her hand up a ladder. I send you also a muster of the weapons wherewith these people are wont to fight, a buckler, a mace, a bow, and certain arrows, among which are two with points of bones, the like whereof, as these conquerors say, have never been seen. I can say nothing unto your lordship touching the apparel of their women. For the Indians keep them so carefully from us, that hitherto I have not seen any of them, saving only two old women, and these had two long robes down to the feet open before, and girded to them, and they are buttoned with certain cords of cotton. I requested the Indians to give me one of these robes, which they wear, to send your honor the same, seeing they would not show me their women. And they brought me two mantles which are these, which I send you as it were painted: they have two pendants like the women of Spain, which hang somewhat over their shoulders. The death of the negro is most certain : for here are many of the things found which he carried with him: And the Indians tell me that they killed him here, because the Indians of Chichilticale told them that he was a wicked villain, and not like unto the Christians : because the Christians kill no women : and he killed women; and also he touched their women, which the Indians love more than themselves; therefore they determined to kill him : But they did not after such sort as was reported, for they killed none of the rest of those that came with him: neither slew they the young lad which was with him of the province of Petatlan, but they took him and kept him in safe custody until now. And when I sought to have him, they excused themselves two or three days to give him me, telling me that he was dead, and sometimes that the Indians of Accu had carried him away. But in conclusion, when I told them that I should be very angry if they did not give him to me, they gave him unto me. He is an interpreter, for though he cannot well speak their language, yet he understands the same very well. In this place there is found some quantity of gold and silver, which those which are skillful in mineral matters esteem to be very good. To this hour I could never learn of these people from whence they have it: And I see they refuse to tell me the truth in all things, imagining, as I have said, that in short time I would depart hence, but I hope in God they shall no longer excuse themselves. I beseech your lordship to certify his Majesty of the success of this voyage. For seeing we have no more than that which is aforesaid, and until such time as it please God that we find that which we desire, I mean not to write myself. Our Lord God keep and preserve your Excellency. Francis Vasques de Coronado kisses the hands of your Excellency.

From the Province of Cibola, and from this city of Granada the third of August 1540.