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nformation was obtained of a large river and that several days
down the river there were people with very large bodies. As Don
Pedro de Tovar had no other commission, he returned from Tusayán
and gave his report to the general. The latter at once dispatched Don
García López de Cárdenas there with about twelve men to explore
this river. When he reached Tusayán he was well received and lodged
by the natives. They provided him with guides to proceed on his journey. They set out from there laden with provisions, because they had
to travel over some uninhabited land before coming to settlements,
which the Indians said were more than twenty days away. Accordingly
when they had marched for twenty days they came to gorges of the
river, from the edge of which it looked as if the opposite side must
have been more than three or four leagues1 away by air. This region
was high and covered with low and twisted pine trees; it was extremely
cold, being open to the north, so that, although this was the warm
season, no one could live in this canyon because of the cold.
The men spent three days looking for a way down to the river; from
the top it looked as if the water were a fathom2 across. But, according
to the information supplied by the Indians, it must have been half a
league wide. The descent was almost impossible, but, after these three
days, at a place which seemed less difficult, Captain Melgosa, a certain
Juan Galeras, and another companion, being the most agile, began to
go down. They continued descending within view of those on top until
they lost sight of them, as they could not be seen from the top. They
returned about four o’clock in the afternoon, as they could not reach
the bottom because of the many obstacles they met, for what from the
Vocabulary Builder
dispatched (di spa£t«) v.
sent off on a specific
assignment
By the time of Coronado’s expedition
in 1540, the Spanish knew there was
gold and silver in the Americas.
Although Coronado’s search for the
Seven Cities of Cibola led only to
impoverished villages in present-day
New Mexico, the group he dispatched northward led to European
discovery of the Grand Canyon.
García López de Cárdenas, with the
help of Hopi guides from nearby
mesas, became the first European to
see this natural wonder. Unable to
find water or to cross the canyon,
Cárdenas eventually left in frustration.
14
Literary Analysis
Exploration Narratives
Literary Analysis
Exploration Narratives
What impression of the
group’s efforts is López
de Cárdenas trying to
convey in his narrative?
• Review with students the purpose
a writer brings to an exploration
narrative: to convey information
about a travel expedition to an
audience.
• Point out to students that some
exploration narratives may be
thought of as reports to an
employer.
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1. leagues (lègz) n. units of measurement of approximately three miles.
2. fathom (faª« ßm) n. a unit of measurement of six feet.
About the Selection
Who is dispatched to
explore the river?
• Ask students the Literary Analysis
question: What impression of the
group’s efforts is Lopez de Cárdenas
trying to convey in his narrative?
Answer: By including details relating to the harsh landscape and the
Spaniards’ sober determination
to explore it, the writer seems to
wish to convey an impression of
the group’s physical and mental
hardiness.
15
Reading Check
Answer: Don García López de
Cárdenas and approximately twelve
other men are dispatched to explore
the river.
Boulders Taller Than the Great Tower of Seville ■ 47
Strategy for Less Proficient Readers
Enrichment for Gifted/Talented Students
Cultural anthropologists observe peoples of the
world: recording what they eat, how they dress,
the roles of the young and elderly, relationships
with neighbors and outsiders, their values and
beliefs, and so on. Ask students to imagine that
a cultural anthropologist from another culture is
visiting your community. Challenge pairs of students to prepare a list of features of public and
private life that would help that social scientist
better understand your culture.
Within the boundaries of Grand Canyon
National Park are about 2,000 sites once inhabited by the Anasazi—the name given to the
Native American peoples who lived in settlements throughout the plateau country of the
Southwest. Encourage students to read further
in the library or on the Internet about the
Anasazi people. Have students write a poem or a
drama about the Anasazi, focusing on what they
might have thought upon seeing the European
explorers gazing across the Grand Canyon.
47
16
Reading Strategy
Recognizing Signal Words
• Ask students the Reading Strategy
question: What change do the
words “up to that time” signal?
Answer: This phrase signals a
change in the course of the journey.
Monitor Progress: Ask a student
volunteer to explain the three most
common types of relationships
between ideas that are indicated
by signal words.
Answer: Signal words most commonly indicate time relationships,
connections of causality, and
contrasts.
Answers
1. Students who have never visited
the canyon may be surprised that
the Spaniards were unable to
descend.
2. (a) They wanted them to serve as
guides. (b) The Native Americans
may have been afraid of the
Spaniards.
3. (a) They are afraid that the Native
Americans will flee in terror and
leave them stranded—and that
other Native Americans will then
avoid them. (b) They believe the
Spaniards have the power to wish
them dead.
4. (a) They are expecting to explore
the Colorado River. (b) Possible
reasons include meeting and
learning about the people reputed
to live near the river or exploring
the river’s possible use as a means
of travel.
5. (a) It appears to be about six feet
wide. (b) They are viewing the
river from an extraordinary height.
6. The account might contain
detailed descriptions of the
canyon’s impressive size and
beauty in order to convince financial backers that exploration of the
canyon could bring them fame,
glory, and riches.
For additional information about Alvar Núñez
Cabeza de Vaca or García López de
Cardenas, have students type in the Web
Code, then select C or L from the alphabet, and then select Alvar Núñez Cabeza
de Vaca or García López de Cardenas.
48
16
top seemed easy, was not so, on the contrary, it was rough and difficult.
They said that they had gone down one-third of the distance and that,
from the point they had reached, the river seemed very large, and
that, from what they saw, the width given by the Indians was correct.
From the top they could make out, apart from the canyon, some small
boulders which seemed to be as high as a man. Those who went down
and who reached them swore that they were taller than the great
tower of Seville.3
The party did not continue farther up the canyon of the river
because of the lack of water. Up to that time they had gone one or
two leagues inland in search of water every afternoon. When they had
traveled four additional days the guides said that it was impossible to
go on because no water would be found for three or four days, that
when they themselves traveled through that land they took along
women who brought water in gourds, that in those trips they
buried the gourds of water for the return trip, and that they
traveled in one day a distance that took us two days.
This was the Tizón river, much closer to its source than where
Melchior Díaz and his men had crossed it. These Indians were of the
same type, as it appeared later. From there Cárdenas and his men
turned back, as that trip brought no other results.
Reading Strategy
Recognizing Signal
Words What change do
the words “up to that
time” signal?
3. great tower of Seville The Giralda, the tower on the Cathedral of Seville in Spain,
rises above the cathedral more than twice its height.
Critical Reading
1. Respond: How does López de Cárdenas’s description compare with
your knowledge of the Grand Canyon?
2. (a) Recall: Why do the Spaniards in “A Journey Through Texas” order
the Native Americans to travel with them? (b) Infer: Why do the
Native Americans obey the orders?
3. (a) Recall: In “A Journey Through Texas,” why do the Spaniards
become fearful when the Native Americans in their company die?
(b) Draw Conclusions: What do the Native Americans believe is
the cause of the sickness?
4. (a) Recall: What are López de Cárdenas and his men expecting
to explore? (b) Infer: Why does Coronado send the group on
this mission?
5. (a) Recall: How wide does the river appear from the edge?
(b) Hypothesize: Why does the river seem narrow from above?
6. Extend: How might these accounts have been different if they had
been written to secure further funding?
48 ■ Beginnings–1750
For: More about Alvar Núñez
Cabeza de Vaca and
García López de Cárdenas
Visit: www.PHSchool.com
Web Code: ere-9103