Jusepe Gutierrez
Encyclopedia
Jusepe Gutierrez (born c. 1572; fl. 1590s, death date unknown) was a Native American
guide and explorer. He was the only known survivor of the Umana and Leyba expedition to the Great Plains
in 1594 or 1595. In 1599 he guided Vicente Saldivar and in 1601 Governor Juan de Oñate
on expeditions to the plains.
, Mexico
about 1572. He spoke Nahuatl
and was illiterate. He surely spoke some Spanish
, but may not have been fluent as his testimony was later recorded with the help of an interpreter. Jusepe's is the only account of the Umana/Leyba expedition. Jusepe probably took the last name of his employer (or owner), Antonio Gutierrez de Umana.
In 1593 Jusepe was recruited by Umana to join him on an expedition (entrada) to what would become New Mexico
. Umana collected additional soldiers and servants in Santa Barbara, Chihuahua
, the northernmost settlement of New Spain
, and the expedition journeyed north to New Mexico. At the time there were no Spanish settlers in New Mexico. Jusepe and Uumana remained about one year among the Pueblo Indians, mostly in San Ildefonso
near the Rio Grande River.
Umana and Lebya left New Mexico, probably in 1595, to explore eastwards, presumably in search of large cities and rich kingdoms which were rumored to be just over the horizon. Their route from San Ildefonso led them by the Indian pueblo
at Pecos, New Mexico
and out onto the Great Plains of Texas
where they met the Vaquero (Apache
) Indians. They found numerous ranchería
s, some of them abandoned, and herds of bison
or American buffalo. Jusepe said they found abundant water in many marshes, springs, and arroyos
as well as great numbers of plum trees and nuts.
Jusepe said they traveled toward the north and the further they went the more abundant were the bison. After some 45 days they came to two large rivers and beyond was a very large Indian settlement that extended for 10 leagues
(about 26 miles) and was two leagues wide. One the two rivers flowed through the settlement.
Jusepe gave a brief description of the "Great Settlement." The houses were built on a frame of stakes with straw roofs. They were built close together, separated by narrow pathways and, in some places, between the houses were fields of maize
, pumpkins, and beans. The people of the settlement received the Spanish in peace and provided them with food. They depended upon buffalo hunting
as well as agriculture.
Three days travel north of this settlement they came upon a "multitude of buffalo," but no more Indian settlements. Discord between the leaders broke out. After spending an afternoon and morning apparently writing up his account of the dispute, Umana called Leyba to his tent and stabbed him to death with a butcher knife
. Umana told his soldiers that Leyba had threatened him. The expedition then continued, reaching a very large river ten days beyond the Great Settlement. The river was one-fourth of a league wide, about two-thirds of a mile, deep and sluggish. "They did not dare to cross it."
It was here that five of the Indians, including Jusepe, deserted the expedition. Three became lost on the plains and Indians killed another. Jusepe was taken captive by Apaches and lived with them for a year until he escaped or was set free and made his way back to New Mexico. By this time Oñate and a large group of settlers had arrived in New Mexico and Jusepe took up residence at the San Juan Bautista Pueblo. On February 16, 1599, Oñate interviewed him concerning the Umana and Leyba expedition and his story was recorded.
According to later accounts, Umana and the other members of the expedition were killed by Indians 18 days beyond the Great Settlement.
from New Mexico. Jusepe served as the guide and interpreter as he had learned the Apache language during his sojurn with them. The objective of the expedition was to procure much-needed meat for the settlers and to see if the bison could be captured and domesticated
.
Jusepe probably led Saldivar on the same route that he had taken with Umana and Leyba. They crossed the Pecos River
, caught catfish in the Gallinas River, and six leagues (15 miles) afterwards came across Apache Indians and a rancheria. Saldivar and Jusepe established friendly relations with the Apache. Continuing, they saw their first bison probably near present day Conchas
.
Perhaps near Logan
, the Spaniards built a corral and attempted to drive bison into it from a plain where they saw "100,000" bison. What ensued was a comedy of errors
as the bison proved impossible to capture. However, Saldivar procured a quantity of dried meat and after exploring more of eastern New Mexico, near the present day border with Texas, he returned to the Spanish settlements arriving November 8, 1599.
, the founder of New Mexico and governor of the new colony, led a large expedition to the Great Plains, relying on Jusepe as a guide. Jusepe led Oñate to the same areas he had visited with Jumana and Leyba. Oñate and Jusepe followed the Canadian River
through the Texas Panhandle. On reaching Oklahoma
, they encountered sand dunes
that made the passage of their oxcarts difficult and Oñate turned north away from the Canadian to journey onward to the "Great Settlement."
Enroute he came across a large encampment of friendly Indians he called Escanjaques
. They were enemies of the people in the Great Settlement, whom Oñate called "Rayados," because they tattoo
ed or painted their faces. Rayado means "striped" in Spanish.
Unlike Umana and Leyba, the people of the Great Settlement fled on Oñate's arrival and, fearing an attack on his 70 Spanish and an unknown number of Indian soldiers, Oñate turned back toward New Mexico. The Escanjaques also turned hostile, attacking Oñate, and fighting a prolonged battle with him. The cause of the battle is uncertain, but may be because Oñate had kidnapped
several boys to be taken back to New Mexico to be instructed in the Christian faith and to serve as interpreters.
The account of Oñate's expedition permits us to speculate about the location of the Great Settlement, possibly called Etzanoa, by its inhabitants. It was probably either at the site of present day Wichita, Kansas
or along the Walnut River
in Arkansas City, Kansas
. Archaeological discoveries favor the Walnut River.
, perhaps near Kansas City
. The Missouri is about 500 yards wide at this point, not as wide as Jusepe estimated, but the largest river that could be reached in about 10 days travel from the Great Settlement. This would be the first known visit of Europeans to the Missouri River
.
What does not fit very well with this possible route is Jusepe's comment that three days beyond the Great Settlement that they came upon "such a multitude of buffalo that the plain - which was level, for there are no mountains -- was so covered with them that they were startled and amazed at the sight." If the Great Settlement were at Wichita
or Arkansas City
, three days travel toward the Missouri River would place the expedition in the rocky and rolling Flint Hills
-- not a plain. Moreover in historic times buffalo were most abundant in the shorter grass prairies west of Longitude 97
rather than the tall grass prairies to the east. Thus, the contradictions in Jusepe's account continue to incite historians to speculate.
Possibly the "large river" was the Kansas
which during high water would have been deep and wide. The Platte River
in Nebraska
has also been suggested, but that would require a major recalculation of the route of Umana, Leyba, and Oñate and the location of the Great Settlement.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
guide and explorer. He was the only known survivor of the Umana and Leyba expedition to the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
in 1594 or 1595. In 1599 he guided Vicente Saldivar and in 1601 Governor Juan de Oñate
Juan de Oñate
Don Juan de Oñate y Salazar was a Spanish explorer, colonial governor of the New Spain province of New Mexico, and founder of various settlements in the present day Southwest of the United States.-Biography:...
on expeditions to the plains.
Background
Jusepe was born in CuliacanCuliacán
Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
about 1572. He spoke Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
and was illiterate. He surely spoke some Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, but may not have been fluent as his testimony was later recorded with the help of an interpreter. Jusepe's is the only account of the Umana/Leyba expedition. Jusepe probably took the last name of his employer (or owner), Antonio Gutierrez de Umana.
In 1593 Jusepe was recruited by Umana to join him on an expedition (entrada) to what would become New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. Umana collected additional soldiers and servants in Santa Barbara, Chihuahua
Santa Bárbara, Chihuahua
Santa Bárbara is a city and seat of the municipality of Santa Bárbara, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. As of 2005, the city had a total population of 8,673.-History:...
, the northernmost settlement of New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
, and the expedition journeyed north to New Mexico. At the time there were no Spanish settlers in New Mexico. Jusepe and Uumana remained about one year among the Pueblo Indians, mostly in San Ildefonso
San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico
San Ildefonso Pueblo is a census-designated place in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 458 at the 2000 census...
near the Rio Grande River.
Umana and Leyba expedition
The expedition of Umana and his partner, Francisco Leyba de Bonilla (also reported in the literature as Humana and Leyva) was carried out without the permission of Spanish authorities. The members of the expedition included both Spanish soldiers and Mexican Indians although we have no indication of how many persons accompanied Humana and Leyba. Our sole source of information about this expedition is Jusepe who told the story in an official inquiry with Oñate in 1599.Umana and Lebya left New Mexico, probably in 1595, to explore eastwards, presumably in search of large cities and rich kingdoms which were rumored to be just over the horizon. Their route from San Ildefonso led them by the Indian pueblo
Pueblo
Pueblo is a term used to describe modern communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States of America. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment-like structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material...
at Pecos, New Mexico
Pecos, New Mexico
Pecos is a village in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,441 at the 2000 census, growing much faster than in other parts of San Miguel County, partly because Pecos is within commuting distance of Santa Fe. The village is built along the Pecos River which flows from...
and out onto the Great Plains of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
where they met the Vaquero (Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
) Indians. They found numerous ranchería
Ranchería
The Spanish word ranchería, or rancherío, refers to a small, rural settlement. In the Americas the term was applied to native villages and to the workers' quarters of a ranch. English adopted the term with both these meanings, usually to designate the residential area of a rancho in the American...
s, some of them abandoned, and herds of bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
or American buffalo. Jusepe said they found abundant water in many marshes, springs, and arroyos
Arroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
as well as great numbers of plum trees and nuts.
Jusepe said they traveled toward the north and the further they went the more abundant were the bison. After some 45 days they came to two large rivers and beyond was a very large Indian settlement that extended for 10 leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
(about 26 miles) and was two leagues wide. One the two rivers flowed through the settlement.
Jusepe gave a brief description of the "Great Settlement." The houses were built on a frame of stakes with straw roofs. They were built close together, separated by narrow pathways and, in some places, between the houses were fields of maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, pumpkins, and beans. The people of the settlement received the Spanish in peace and provided them with food. They depended upon buffalo hunting
Bison hunting
Buffalo hunting was an activity fundamental to the Plains Indian tribes of the United States, which was later adopted by American professional hunters, leading to the near-extinction of the species.- Native hunting :...
as well as agriculture.
Three days travel north of this settlement they came upon a "multitude of buffalo," but no more Indian settlements. Discord between the leaders broke out. After spending an afternoon and morning apparently writing up his account of the dispute, Umana called Leyba to his tent and stabbed him to death with a butcher knife
Butcher knife
A butcher knife is a knife designed and used primarily for the butchering and/or dressing of animals.During the late 18th century to mid 1840s, the butcher knife was a key tool for mountain men. Simple, useful and cheap to produce, they were used for everything from skinning beaver, cutting food,...
. Umana told his soldiers that Leyba had threatened him. The expedition then continued, reaching a very large river ten days beyond the Great Settlement. The river was one-fourth of a league wide, about two-thirds of a mile, deep and sluggish. "They did not dare to cross it."
It was here that five of the Indians, including Jusepe, deserted the expedition. Three became lost on the plains and Indians killed another. Jusepe was taken captive by Apaches and lived with them for a year until he escaped or was set free and made his way back to New Mexico. By this time Oñate and a large group of settlers had arrived in New Mexico and Jusepe took up residence at the San Juan Bautista Pueblo. On February 16, 1599, Oñate interviewed him concerning the Umana and Leyba expedition and his story was recorded.
According to later accounts, Umana and the other members of the expedition were killed by Indians 18 days beyond the Great Settlement.
Saldivar expedition
On September 15, 1599, Sergeant Major Vicente de Saldivar Mendoza, led a group of about 60 soldiers east to the Great PlainsGreat Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
from New Mexico. Jusepe served as the guide and interpreter as he had learned the Apache language during his sojurn with them. The objective of the expedition was to procure much-needed meat for the settlers and to see if the bison could be captured and domesticated
Domestication
Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been...
.
Jusepe probably led Saldivar on the same route that he had taken with Umana and Leyba. They crossed the Pecos River
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
, caught catfish in the Gallinas River, and six leagues (15 miles) afterwards came across Apache Indians and a rancheria. Saldivar and Jusepe established friendly relations with the Apache. Continuing, they saw their first bison probably near present day Conchas
Conchas
Conchas is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 was 16,450 and the area is 469.46 km². The elevation is 503 m....
.
Perhaps near Logan
Logan
Logan was a Native American leader.Logan may also refer to:- Australia :* Logan City, a local government area in Queensland* Electoral district of Logan, an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly...
, the Spaniards built a corral and attempted to drive bison into it from a plain where they saw "100,000" bison. What ensued was a comedy of errors
Comedy of errors
A comedy of errors is a narrative work that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone, in which the action usually features a series of comic instances of mistaken identity, and which typically culminates in a happy resolution of the thematic conflict.-Satire and farce:A slight variation of...
as the bison proved impossible to capture. However, Saldivar procured a quantity of dried meat and after exploring more of eastern New Mexico, near the present day border with Texas, he returned to the Spanish settlements arriving November 8, 1599.
Oñate follows Umana and Leyba's route
In 1601, Juan de OñateJuan de Oñate
Don Juan de Oñate y Salazar was a Spanish explorer, colonial governor of the New Spain province of New Mexico, and founder of various settlements in the present day Southwest of the United States.-Biography:...
, the founder of New Mexico and governor of the new colony, led a large expedition to the Great Plains, relying on Jusepe as a guide. Jusepe led Oñate to the same areas he had visited with Jumana and Leyba. Oñate and Jusepe followed the Canadian River
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and most of Oklahoma....
through the Texas Panhandle. On reaching Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, they encountered sand dunes
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
that made the passage of their oxcarts difficult and Oñate turned north away from the Canadian to journey onward to the "Great Settlement."
Enroute he came across a large encampment of friendly Indians he called Escanjaques
Escanjaque Indians
The Escanjaques were a native American people named this by Juan de Onate in 1601 during an expedition to the Great Plains of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The Escanjaques may have been identical with the Aguacane who lived along the tributaries of the Red River in western Oklahoma...
. They were enemies of the people in the Great Settlement, whom Oñate called "Rayados," because they tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ed or painted their faces. Rayado means "striped" in Spanish.
Unlike Umana and Leyba, the people of the Great Settlement fled on Oñate's arrival and, fearing an attack on his 70 Spanish and an unknown number of Indian soldiers, Oñate turned back toward New Mexico. The Escanjaques also turned hostile, attacking Oñate, and fighting a prolonged battle with him. The cause of the battle is uncertain, but may be because Oñate had kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
several boys to be taken back to New Mexico to be instructed in the Christian faith and to serve as interpreters.
The account of Oñate's expedition permits us to speculate about the location of the Great Settlement, possibly called Etzanoa, by its inhabitants. It was probably either at the site of present day Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
or along the Walnut River
Walnut River
The Walnut River is a tributary of the Arkansas River, long, in the Flint Hills region of Kansas in the United States. Via the Arkansas, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed....
in Arkansas City, Kansas
Arkansas City, Kansas
Arkansas City is a city situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of Cowley County, located in south-central Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,415....
. Archaeological discoveries favor the Walnut River.
The large river
Intriguing in Jusepe's account of the Umana and Leyba expedition is the mention of a large river found about ten days north of the Great Settlement. The river that best fits Jusepe's description is the MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, perhaps near Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. The Missouri is about 500 yards wide at this point, not as wide as Jusepe estimated, but the largest river that could be reached in about 10 days travel from the Great Settlement. This would be the first known visit of Europeans to the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
.
What does not fit very well with this possible route is Jusepe's comment that three days beyond the Great Settlement that they came upon "such a multitude of buffalo that the plain - which was level, for there are no mountains -- was so covered with them that they were startled and amazed at the sight." If the Great Settlement were at Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
or Arkansas City
Arkansas City, Kansas
Arkansas City is a city situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of Cowley County, located in south-central Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,415....
, three days travel toward the Missouri River would place the expedition in the rocky and rolling Flint Hills
Flint Hills
The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a band of hills in eastern Kansas stretching into north-central Oklahoma, extending from Marshall County, Kansas and Washington County, Kansas in the north to Cowley County, Kansas and Osage County, Oklahoma in the south...
-- not a plain. Moreover in historic times buffalo were most abundant in the shorter grass prairies west of Longitude 97
97th meridian west
The 97th meridian west of Greenwich is a line of longitude that extends from the North Pole across the Arctic Ocean, North America, the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica to the South Pole....
rather than the tall grass prairies to the east. Thus, the contradictions in Jusepe's account continue to incite historians to speculate.
Possibly the "large river" was the Kansas
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
which during high water would have been deep and wide. The Platte River
Platte River
The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...
in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
has also been suggested, but that would require a major recalculation of the route of Umana, Leyba, and Oñate and the location of the Great Settlement.