El Turco (guide)
El Turco, or The Turk, ( ????- August 5 1541) was a Native American (either Wichita or Pawnee) guide and slave of Francisco Vasquez de Colorado along with Big Eyes and Ysopete. so called El Turco by the Spaniards because of his similar appearance to Turks and having a mustache which was odd for Native Americans, was a captive of Natives at Cicúique near contemporary Pecos. In spring 1541, he led the Spaniards to the city of Quivira which was said to hold gold, silver and rich textiles but he alongside Cacique and Bigotes were Chained by spanish captain Alvarado for refusing to lead him back with Colorado, After the Spaniards reached Quivira, they were disappointed to find out the stories weren't true and that El Turco had lied and conspired with the Quivirans to kill the Spaniards and their horses, In anger, Francisco Vazquez de Colorado ordered his men to have him Garroted before leaving Quivira on August 5 1541. Today El Turco is regarded as an Indigenous hero in a display at Albuquerque's Indian Pueblo Cultural Center because his disinformation led Vázquez de Coronado onto the Great Plains and thus relieved the beleaguered pueblos of Spanish depredations for at least a few months.
References
External links
- El Turco and Ysopete.
- National Park Service: Kiva, Cross, and Crown (Chapter 1).
- Searching for "Nuevo México"
 | This biographical article about an Indigenous person of North America is a stub. You can help EverybodyWiki by expanding it. |
This article "El Turco (guide)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:El Turco (guide). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
