tinct classes, the first of which comprises documents
written in New Mexico in the years from 1540 to 1543; these reflect all
the advantages and disadvantages of the writings of eye-witnesses. The
mere fact that one had been a participant in the events which he
describes is not a guaranty of absolute reliability: his sincerity and
truthfulness may be above reproach, but his field of vision is
necessarily limited, and the personal element controls his impressions,
even against his will, hence his statements. These earliest sources
regarding Coronado consist of the letters of Coronado himself (with the
related letter of Viceroy Mendoza), and several briefer documents
written in New Mexico but without indication of their authors. The last
two letters written by Coronado alone touch upon the Rio Grande
Pueblos--those of August 3, 1540, and October 20, 1541.

As stated above, the expedition of Coronado was not designed as a mere
exploration, but rather for the purpose of establishing a permanent
settlement. Coronado's second letter, the first in which he touches upon
the Rio Grande Pueblos, appears to have been lost. His letter of October
20, 1541, although written near the site of the present Bernalillo, New
Mexico, contains very little in regard to the Rio Grande Pueblos.

The briefer documents pertaining to Coronado's expedition, and written
while the Spaniards were still in New Mexico, with the exception of one
(the report of the reconnoissance made by Hernando de Alvarado,
accompanied by Fray Juan de Padilla to the east) concern Zuni almost
exclusively. The document respecting Alvarado's journey is contained in
the _Coleccion de Documentos_ from the archives of the Indies, but is
erroneously attributed to Hernando de Soto. The celebrated
historiographer of Spain, Juan Bautista Munoz, unacquainted with New
Mexico, its geography and ethnography, criticized it rather harshly;
nevertheless, the document is very reliable in its description of
country and people: it alludes to features which are nowhere else
noticed, and which were rediscovered by the late Frank Hamilton Cushing
and myself about twenty-eight years ago. The number of villages and
people in the Rio Grande region, of which the document gives a brief
description, are, as usual, exaggerated; and it could hardly have been
otherwise in view of a first and hasty visit, but it remains the
earliest document in which Acoma and a part of the Rio Grande valley are
treate