Tejano History

Alvarado, Hernando De

Tejanos |

ALVARADO, HERNANDO DE (?–?). Hernando de Alvarado, captain of artillery on the Coronado expedition, saved the life of his commander during the storming of Hawiku pueblo. On August 29, 1540, he commanded a side expedition commissioned to explore the region to the east and the north for eighty days and to investigate the reports of cows or buffalo. Alvarado's command passed the Acoma pueblo, the land of the Tiguex Indians, and at the Pecos pueblo acquired El Turco as a guide to the cow herds. El Turco's tales of gold and silver caused the group to lose interest in cows, but the Spaniards continued until buffalo herds had been sighted, thus becoming the first known Europeans to visit the High Plains.

 

Full article on the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas Online