CÍBOLA REGION
The Cíbola Region
(See the Cíbola Region Map) got its name from the myth of the Seven Cities of Cíbola. In 1539 Fray Marcos de Niza led a party from Mexico to verify the existence of the fabled walled cities of gold. After a deadly skirmish with the Zuni, de Niza viewed Hawikuh pueblo from a safe distance, then retreated to Mexico. His exaggerated claims of large cities and potential riches spurred the Spanish to send Francisco Vásquez de Coronado back to conquer the Zuni. After the battle, Coronado was disappointed to learn that he had not captured wealthy cities of gold, but had merely defeated a bunch of simple farmers.
El Morro and Inscription Rock
Words carved at least as far back as 1605 in the soft sandstone give Inscription Rock its name. Ancestors of the Zuni occupied the surrounding area for centuries. For the last two decades or so, the Zuni have sponsored an archaeological/ethnohistorical project that may, in time, produce a more detailed historical record of the Zuni people than that of any of the other pueblos. Ruins in the
El Morro area generally date from the 13th and 14th centuries. Atop Inscription Rock is the Zuni village of
Atsinna ("writing on rock" in Zuni). Modern observers conclude that the pueblo was built on that high promontory, with its clear view in all directions, so that it could be readily defended from enemy attacks. The large rectangular pueblo consisted of three stories on the outer walls and included nearly 1,000 rooms.
Like other pueblo villagers, the residents of Hawikuh suffered under Spanish and Church rule and occasionally revolted. At times they withdrew to defensible mesa tops, only to be coaxed back down by the Spanish. Hawikuh was occupied on and off until after the
Pueblo Revolt of 1680, when it was permanently abandoned.
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