Seven Cities of Cibola: The mythical land of gold
Who doesn’t know about El Dorado, the mythical city of gold, presumed to be located somewhere in South America. But did you know there are other equivalents to El Dorado? We are talking about the seven cities that are collectively called the Cities of Cibola or the “Seven Cities of Gold.” They are supposedly located somewhere in between northern Mexico and the southwestern part of USA and have been part of mythical history since the 16th century, thanks to Spanish explorers. Legend has it that all these cities are fully laden with gold.
Origin of the Cibola myth: The Narvaez Expedition
To trace the origin of the mythical lands of gold or Cibola, you have to turn the clock back to 1527. As it turns out, a Spanish conquistador named Panfilo de Narvaez travelled with 600 people and five ships to colonise Florida, on behalf of the Spanish crown back home. Unfortunately, they met with a storm near the coast of Cuba and ended up in a shipwreck. Around 400 people, who survived, reached the shores of modern-day Tampa Bay by chance. Having no idea where they were, Narvaez instructed his crew to literally divide and conquer. He sent 100 men via the sea route and rest through land. His goal was to go further north where he hoped to find a harbour. But, as fate would have it, Narvaez and his crew didn’t succeed. Eventually, after a series of storms, almost everyone died, including Narvaez with only four surviving.
Now, these four men somehow ended up in what we know as Texas today. There, they were captured by the natives. To free themselves, soon they devised a clever plan. They declared themselves as healers, earned reputation and finally managed to flee to the Mexico City in 1536. Here’s where it gets interesting. No one knows why, but these men shared accounts of their gold adventures and eventually, the whole of Mexico got to know about the glistening cities of gold, that came to be known as Cibola.
Coronado Expedition and the Land of the Zunis
The myth of the Seven Cities of Gold continued throughout history and at one point of time people started believing that not only did it exist but it was in fact where the Native American tribe Zuni lived. In 1539, a Moroccan man named Esteban, along with his friend Marcos de Niza, arrived in the land of the Zunis. Why? Yes, you guessed it right, to search for the Seven Cities of Gold.
Now, what exactly happened next is still a mystery. Some say Esteban was killed by the Zunis for intruding, while others say he stayed back among the natives, without informing his companion. Nonetheless, when de Niza returned to rest of the party who were waiting at Mexico City, he not only informed them about Esteban’s disappearance but also fed them lies about the land of the Zunis, saying that it was full of gold. The Europeans couldn’t be happier when they heard this story and planned the famous Coronado Expedition with the famous and ruthless Francisco Vasquez de Coronado.
In 1540, Coronado and his team arrived in the land of Zunis to loot its gold along with de Niza who showed the way. Unfortunately, they were utterly disappointed to find the gold missing. Instead, they witnessed the poor lifestyle of the Zunis. But, as you can imagine, the Europeans were not ready to give up so soon. They tortured the Zunis hoping that they would reveal where they had hidden their treasures. But as the saying goes, what isn’t really there can never be found. And that’s exactly what happened. Since then, many others have travelled to the region hoping to discover the Seven Cities of Gold, but all in vain!