The marvellous country, or, Three years in Arizona and New Mexico.: Containing an authentic history of this wonderful country and its ancient civilization ... together with a full and complete history of the Apache tribe of Indians .../ By Samuel Woodworth Cozzens. Illustrated by more than one hundred engravings.

FA7'HIER IINO.
early as 1553, and written by one Francisco Lopez de
Gomara, who claimed to give an authentic history of the
Aztec race, from the founding of the city of Mexico upl) to
that time.
A few years later, one Bernal Diaz, a licentiate of the
Cortez expedition, and its chief and 6nly reliable historian,
produced a volume covering the same ground gone over by
Gomara. From these two authors we derive most of the
knowledge we have concerning this wonderful nation, aid
its remarkable civilization.
It was through the Territory of Arizona that Marco de
Niza made his explorations as early as 1535; and it was t(
ascertain the truth of the wonderful stories told by Niza
concerning the wealth of the country, and its marvellous
beauties, that Coronado's expedition was organized in 1540.
It was not, however, until 1658, that any other expedition was organized of which we have any authentic account.
There are now in the monastery of Dolores, in Zacatecas,
old records and parchments, which show that in that year
an old Jesuit priest, by name Eusebius Francis Kino, inspired solely by religious motives, set out, determined to
visit and explore, in the name of the church, the country
which had for so many years poured into the coffers of the
Spaniards so much of its native wealth. Single and alone
this brave old padre started forth from the mission Dolores
to go, he knew not whither,- the cross his only protection,
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