The Journey of Coronado, 1540-1542, from the City of Mexico to the Grand Canon of the Colorado and the Buffalo Plains of Texas, Kansas and Nebraska Page: 73 of 288

THE JOURNEY OF CORONADO

lation of about 200 men. These people
were robbers, feared by the whole country
round about. The village was very strong,
because it was up on a rock out of reach,
having steep sides in every direction, and so
high that it was a very good musket that
could throw a ball as high. There was only
one entrance by a stairway built by hand,
which began at the top of a slope which is
around the foot of the rock. There was a
broad stairway for about 200 steps, then a
stretch of about 100 narrower steps, and at
the top they had to go up about three times
as high as a man by means of holes in the
rock, in ,which they put the points of their
feet, holding on at the same time by their
hands. There was a wall of large and small
stones at the top, which they could roll
down without showing themselves, so that
no army could possibly be strong enough to
capture the village. On the top they had
room to sow and store a large amount of
corn, and cisterns to collect snow and water.
These people came down to the plain ready
to fight, and would not listen to any argu-
ments. They drew lines on the ground and
determined to prevent our men from crossing
these, but when they saw that they would
have to fight they offered to make peace be-
Report, vol. i., p. 133. The Spaniards calJed it by
a name resembling that which they heard applied to
it in Zufi-Cibola. The true Zutli name of Acoma,
on the authority of Mr. F. W. Hodge, is HIkukia;
that of the Acoma people, Hakukwe.
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