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Preface
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ix Preface As do most historical studies, this work stands on the shoulders of many people: event participants, witnesses, historians, and writers, past and current . Most significant, of course, are those Spaniards who during the Era of the Conquistador wrote, reported, or testified about their experiences. I have taken their words as though they were spoken directly to and for us today, rejecting any notion that they hold any less value because of their antiquity.At the same time,however,I have considered any potential contamination of their truth stemming from societal or personal attitudes of the ages. Yet it is important to be clear. While the heroic efforts of the conquistador in his discovery of the American world are fully appreciated, the actions and events dealt with here are measured by today’s moral standards that accept and appreciate the humanity of America’s native occupants. x P r e f a c e We are most fortunate that Spain was such a highly literate nation as to amass a quantity and quality of written record that gives testimony to the conquistador. But no study of the Spanish conquistador can be other than humbly grateful to those modern scholars who have gone to archives in the United States, Mexico, Spain, and elsewhere to read the difficult, quill-produced cursive of the many Spanish documents, translate them into English, annotate them, and have them published for others to study and make use of. Among those who have rendered valuable translations and narratives are George Parker Winship with The Coronado Expedition, 1540–1542 (1964) and George P. Hammond and Agapito Rey with Narratives of the Coronado Expedition, 1540–1542 (1940), as well as Don Juan de Oñate, Colonizer of New Mexico,1595–1608 (1953).These works provide both the original Spanish documents and their translations into English. Though the narratives that accompany these translations are outdated in some respects, these sources were important in the preparation of this book. History of Central America by Hubert Howe Bancroft and Coronado, Knight of Pueblos and Plains by Herbert E. Bolton helped awaken American readers to the day of the conquistador and his role in the history of the United States, Mexico, and North America in general. These sources provided a primary introduction to this study of the two conquistador expeditions. The prodigious scholarly production Documents of the Coronado Expe dition, 1539–1542 (2005), edited, translated, and annotated by Richard and Shirley Cushing Flint, however, was chosen over previous Coronado translations in the main.This work extensively updates the earlier studies and contains valuable documents and notes not found otherwise. I have, however, provided citation references for all three of the major Coronado translations listed here where possible. There are variations of interpretation among the three, and at times the innuendos of meaning can be significant in determining precisely what the Spanish author actually wished to convey. The debt this book owes to these studies makes it seem particularly less than grateful to argue with historical conclusions made by those translators and authors.The privilege of my doing so,however,is an inherent value of their scholarly efforts and an absolute necessity in sorting out the truth of history. Still, I bow respectfully not only to their invaluable work but to their intellectual thought as well. [54.242.191.214] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 11:24 GMT) xi P r e f a c e I express my thanks to Paula Aguilar, Teresa Neely, and Nancy Brown-Martinez of the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico for their research assistance. And once again I must give great credit and extend sincere appreciation to my wife, Pat Corbell Hoig, whose reading, editing, and consultation contributed much to this book. Stan Hoig, PhD [54.242.191.214] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 11:24 GMT) Came Men on Horses ...