Materials . . .

The Pueblo of Zuni

In the 1560s, Pedro de Castañeda (1510?-70?) wrote a narrative of Coronado's 1540-42 expedition to Cíbola, which he experienced as a private soldier. Led here by erroneous reports of great wealth, the disappointed Coronado seized Zuni Pueblo, a small settlement, and used it as a military base. Excerpts from Castañeda's narrative can be found in Mulford's anthology. They include a piece of the rambling, deferential preface, so customary for these works; the story of the murder of "the negro Stephen," whose black skin made the Zuni Pueblo think him a liar for claiming to be from a world of white men; a description of the disappointment at finding such cities, where the Spanish expected to find so much more; and details of the customs and habits of the people at Chichilticalli (now somewhere in northern Arizona), among whom Castañeda witnessed "no drunkenness . . . nor sodomy nor sacrifices." See Pedro de Castañeda, "from Castañeda's Narrative," trans. George Parker Winship. Early American Writings, ed. Carla Mulford, Angela Vietto, and Amy E. Winans (New York: Oxford UP, 2002) 93-109. Here is a Google Earth placemark for a low-resolution image of Zuni Pueblo. A visit to the official website of the Pueblo of Zuni will help you understand what you are seeing from the sky. Download 1540ZuniPuebloCoronadosCibola.kmz (1.3K).

Cuzco, the capital of the Incan empire and the birthplace of Garcilaso de la Vega, el Inca

Garcilaso de la Vega, el Inca (1539-1616) embodied the meeting of worlds. His father was a high-status Spaniard, and his mother was a high-status Incan. His writings combine a pride and care in the representation of his ancestral heritage with an approval of the Spanish conquest. They include his graphic narration of the torture of Juan Ortiz. See Garcilaso de la Vega, el Inca, "from The Florida of the Inca and Royal Commentaries of the Incas and General History of Peru, Part I," Early American Writings, ed. Carla Mulford, Angela Vietto, and Amy E. Winans (New York: Oxford UP, 2002) 93-109. This Google Earth placemark locates Cuzco, the capital of the Incan empire when the birthplace of Garcilaso de la Vega, el Inca. Download 1540ZuniPueblo.kmz (1.2K).

Cartier, the Micmacs, and the mouth of the St. Lawrence

In 1534, Jacques Cartier came to Newfoundland and the mouth of the St. Lawrence. He met the Micmacs, who figure in Mulford's anthology of Early American Writings for their story of "The Floating Island." It begins

When there were no people in this country but Indians, and before any others were known, a young woman had a singular dream. She dreamed that a small island came floating in towards the land, with tall trees on it, and living beings,--among whom was a man dressed in rabbit-skins garments. (153)

Here's a Google Earth placemark for this region of North America. Download 1534CartierMicmacs.kmz (1.0K).

Site of the Miraculous Apparation of the Virgin of Guadalupe

Here is a Google Earth placemark marking the Aztec temple to Tonantzin, now the Chapel of Tepeyac, where (the story says) the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared in 1531 before Juan Diego, a converted Texcocan prince.

A few locations described in the writings of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

Scholars think Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca first landed in the Saint Petersburg area. He then travelled, counterclockwise, around the gulf coast to present-day Galveston Island, Texas.

Placemarks for Bartolomé de Las Casas

Bartolomé de Las Casas describes two massacres in his important 1552 work, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, that are included in Carla Mulford's anthology of early American writings.

Important sites in the Spanish Conquest of the Yucatan

Mulford's Early American Writings includes an early text translated from the Yucatec Maya language.

Locations described by Columbus and Vespucci

Google Earth will help anyone to better understand early American literature. Here is a set of placemarks showing, so far as I could determine with a little web research, the locations explored by Columbus and Vespucci in their writings.