The Bison Plains and the People Who Follow the Herds

agora diremos de los llanos que es una tierra llana y espaçiosa que tiene en anchura mas de quatro cientas leguas por aquella parte entre las dos cordilleras la una la que atrabeso francisco uasques coronado a la mar del sur y la otra la que atrabeso la gente de don fernando de soto a la mar del norte entrando por la florida lo que de estos llanos se bio todo era despoblado y no se pudo ber la otra cordillera ni çerro ni çierra que tubiese de altura tres estados con andar doçientas y sinquenta leguas por ellos atrechos se hallauan algunas lagunas redondas como platos de un tiro de piedra de ancho y mayores algunas dulçes y algunas de sal

now we will tell of the plains, which is a land flat and spacious, which has in width more than four hundred leagues in that part between the two ranges, the one that Francisco Vázquez Coronado crossed toward the South Sea and the other that the people of Don Fernando de Soto crossed toward the North Sea, entering by Florida; what was seen of these plains was all unpeopled, and the other range could not be seen, nor hill nor sierra that had a height of three estados, though going two hundred and fifty leagues through them; at stretches were found some round lakes like plates, a stone's throw wide and larger, some fresh and some of salt

Now we will tell about the plains. They are a flat, wide land, more than four hundred leagues across in that region. They lie between two mountain ranges. One is the range on the South Sea side, which Francisco Vázquez Coronado crossed. The other is the range on the North Sea side, which Don Fernando de Soto's people crossed, coming in by way of Florida.1 All of the plains that we saw were without settlements. We could not see the other range, or any hill or ridge even three times a man's height,2 though we traveled two hundred and fifty leagues across them. Here and there we found round ponds, shaped like plates, a stone's throw wide or more. Some were fresh water and some salt.

1. The expedition of Hernando de Soto (1539–1543), which landed in Florida and crossed the southeastern part of North America.
2. Castañeda says three estados. An estado was a measure taken from the height of an average man.

en estas lagunas ay alguna yerba cresida fuera de ellas toda es muy chica de un geme y menos es la tierra de hechura de bola que donde quiera que un hombre se pone lo çerca el çielo a tiro de ballesta no tiene arboleda sino en los rios que ay en algunas barrancas que son tam encubiertas que hasta que estan a el bordo de ellas no son bistas son de tierra muerta tienen entradas que haçen las bacas para entrar a el agua que esta honda

in these lakes there is some grown grass; outside them it is all very short, of a span and less; the land is of the shape of a ball, so that wherever a man places himself the sky surrounds him at a crossbow shot; it has no trees except in the rivers that there are in some ravines, which are so hidden that until one is at the edge of them they are not seen; they are of dead earth; they have entrances that the cattle make to enter to the water, which is deep

Around these ponds there is some tall grass. Away from them all the grass is very short, a span high3 or less. The land is shaped like a ball: wherever a man stands, the sky closes around him at a crossbow shot. There are no trees except along the rivers, which run in ravines. These are so hidden that you cannot see them until you are at their edge. They are of bare earth, and the bison4 have made paths into them to reach the water, which lies deep.

3. A span (geme), the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the forefinger, spread apart.
4. Bison. Castañeda calls them vacas, “cows.”

por estos llanos andan gentes como tengo dicho en la primera parte en pos de las bacas haçiendo caça y adobãdo cueros para lleuar a bender a los poblados los inbiernos porque ban a inbernar a ellos cada compañia a donde mas çerca se halla unos a los poblados de cicuye otros haçia quiuira otros haçia la florida a los poblados que estan haçia aquella parte y puerto estan gentes que los llamã querechos y teyas dan relaçion de grandes poblados y segun lo que de estas gentes se bio y de otros que ellos daban notiçia que auia por otras partes ella es harto mas gente que no la de los poblados mas dispuesta y mayores hombres de guerra y mas temidos

over these plains go peoples, as I have said in the first part, after the cattle, hunting and dressing hides to carry to sell to the towns in the winters, because they go to winter in them, each company where it is nearest; some to the towns of Cicuye, others toward Quivira, others toward Florida, to the towns that are toward that side and port [?]; these peoples, whom they call Querechos and Teyas, give report of great towns; and according to what was seen of these peoples and of others of whom they gave news that there were in other parts, it is much more people than that of the towns, better built and greater men of war and more feared

Peoples roam these plains, as I said in the first part, following the bison. They hunt and dress hides to take and sell in the towns in winter, because they go to spend the winter there. Each band goes to whatever town is nearest: some to the towns of Cicuye, others toward Quivira,5 and others toward Florida, to the towns in that direction. These people, called Querechos and Teyas,6 tell of great towns. From what we saw of them, and of others they told us lived in other places, there are far more of these people than of the town people. They are better built, greater warriors, and more feared.

5. Cicuye, the pueblo now called Pecos, east of the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Quivira was a land of villages with grass-roofed houses to the northeast, in present-day Kansas.
6. The Querechos were probably Apache people of the plains. The Teyas are harder to place: scholars have taken them for Caddoan people of Texas or for Comanche, and some have found no match.

andan como alarabes con sus tiendas y harrias de perros aparejados con lomillos y en xalmas y sincha quando se les tuerçe la carga aullan llamando quien los aderese comen esta gente la carne cruda y beben la sagre no comen carne humana es gente amoroso y no cruel tienen fiel amistad son muy entendidos por señas

they go like Arabs with their tents and droves of dogs harnessed with pads and in packsaddles and girth; when the load twists on them they howl, calling for someone to fix them; these people eat the meat raw and drink the blood; they do not eat human flesh; it is a loving people and not cruel; they have faithful friendship; they are very understanding by signs

They travel like Arabs,7 with their tents and their trains of dogs, which are fitted with pads, packsaddles, and girths.8 When a dog's load slips to one side, it howls, calling for someone to set it straight. These people eat their meat raw and drink the blood. They do not eat human flesh. They are a friendly people, not cruel, and loyal in friendship. They are very good at making themselves understood by signs.

7. Castañeda says alarabes. To Spaniards, Arabs were people who lived in camps of tents, like the nomads of North Africa.
8. Plains peoples used dogs to carry packs and to drag tent poles, the travois. Castañeda's lomillos, xalmas and sincha are words for the pads, packsaddles and girths of Spanish pack animals.

secan la carne a el sol cortandola delgada como una oja y seca la muelen como harina para guardar y haçer maçamorras para comer que con un puño que hechan en una olla se hinche por que creçe mucho guisan lo con manteca que siempre procuran traer quando matan la baca uaçian una gran tripa y hinchen la de sangre y hechan la a el cuello para beber quando tienen sed quando an abierto la pança de la baca aprietan para abajo la yerua mascada y el sumo que queda arriba lo beben que diçen que esto da la sustançia de el bientre

they dry the meat in the sun, cutting it thin as a leaf, and dry they grind it like flour to keep and make mush to eat, for with a fist[ful] that they throw in a pot it fills, because it swells much; they cook it with fat, which they always try to bring; when they kill the cow they empty a large gut and fill it with blood and throw it on the neck to drink when they are thirsty; when they have opened the belly of the cow they press down the chewed grass and the juice that stays above they drink, for they say that this gives the substance of the belly

They dry the meat in the sun, slicing it as thin as a leaf. When it is dry, they grind it like flour to store it and to make a mush9 to eat. A handful thrown into a pot fills it, because it swells a great deal. They cook it with fat, which they always try to carry with them. When they kill a bison, they empty out a large gut, fill it with blood, and hang it around their necks to drink when they are thirsty. When they have opened the animal's stomach, they press the chewed grass down and drink the juice that rises to the top. They say this gives them the goodness of the stomach.

9. Mazamorra, a Spanish word for a porridge or mush, often made of maize flour.

abren las bacas por el lomo y deshaçen los por sus coyunturas con un pedernal grande como un dedo atado en un palito cō tanta façilidad como si fuese con una muy buena herramienta dando les los filos en sus propios dientes es cosa de ber y de notar la presteça con que lo haçen.

they open the cows along the back and take them apart at their joints with a flint as big as a finger tied to a little stick, with as much ease as if it were with a very good tool, giving them the edges on their own teeth; it is a thing to see and to note, the quickness with which they do it.

They open the bison along the back and take them apart at the joints, using a flint the size of a finger tied to a little stick. They do it as easily as if they had a very fine tool, and they sharpen the edges on their own teeth. The speed with which they do it is a sight worth seeing.

ay por estos llanos muy gran cantidad de lobos que andā tras de las bacas tienen el pelo blanco los sieruos son remendados de blanco el pelo ancho y que muriendo ansi con la mano se pelan en caliente y quedan como puerco pelado las liebres que son en gran numero andan tan abobadas que yendo a cauallo las matan con las lanças esto es de andar hechas entre las bacas de la gente de pie huyen.

there are on these plains a very great quantity of wolves, which go after the cows; they have white hair; the deer are patched with white, the hair broad, and [such] that, dying, thus with the hand they are plucked while warm and remain like a plucked pig; the hares, which are in great number, go so stupefied that, going on horseback, they kill them with the lances; this is from going used to [being] among the cows; from people on foot they flee.

On these plains there are a great many wolves, which follow the bison. They have white fur. The deer are patched with white and have coarse hair. When they are killed, the hair can be pulled out by hand while the body is still warm, leaving them like a scalded pig.10 The hares are very many and so dazed that men on horseback kill them with their lances. This is because they are used to moving among the bison. From people on foot they run away.

10. Or: their skin is loose and can be pulled off by hand while they are warm. The Spanish word pelar usually means to pull out hair, but the sentence is hard.