Page:The gilded man (El Dorado) and other pictures of the Spanish occupancy of America.djvu/175

Rh the sake of security, in the vicinity of the present Zócalo. The comparison, therefore, instead of being exaggerated, seems to have been fitting and correct. As to the decoration of the doorposts with turquoises, Mr. Gushing has found that a custom formerly prevailed, in Zuñi at least, of decorating the openings in the roof through which the inmates of the house went down into the rooms and chambers with green stones, among which kalaite, or turquoise, carbonate of copper, or malachite, and phosphate of copper, etc., were occasionally introduced. The monk was therefore correctly informed concerning this matter, and repeated truly what had been told him.

Efforts have been made for a long time in vain to localize the names which Fray Marcos heard of what were styled "kingdoms," "provinces," and "cities" in the vicinity of Cibola. Mr. Gushing has succeeded in explaining the names of "Marata" and "Totonteac." Although they are distorted, they both belong to the language of the Zuñi, and denote directions, rather than particular regions. "Abacus," on the other hand, is one of the seven cities Ha-ui-cu or Aguas calientes situated fifteen miles southwest of Zuñi, and deserted since the year 1679. "Hacus," finally, which Fray Marcos called a kingdom in distinction from the others, is a tribe independent of Zuni, that of Acoma, the real name of which is A-co, and which the Zuñi, according to Gushing, call Ha-cu-qua.

The return of the priest, his remarkable experiences, and the stories which he brought from the far north attracted the highest degree of attention