Humana and Leyva expedition facts for kids

Antonio Gutiérrez de Humana and Francisco Leyva de Bonilla were Spanish explorers who went on an unauthorized trip to the Great Plains in 1594 or 1595. This means they didn't have official permission for their journey. The only person who survived their expedition was a Native American man named Jusepe Gutierrez. He later shared what he remembered about their travels. We don't know the exact path Humana and Leyva took, but they likely traveled through areas that are now Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Background of the Expedition

In 1593, Antonio Gutiérrez de Humana, also known as Umana, hired Jusepe Gutierrez in Culiacán, Mexico. Jusepe was to join him on an entrada, which means an expedition, to a place that would later be called New Mexico. At that time, the leader of New Spain (a Spanish colony) was planning his own official trip to explore and settle New Mexico. Because of this, Humana and his partner, Francisco Leyva de Bonilla (also called Leyba), started their journey without permission, making it illegal.

After getting Jusepe to join them, Humana and Leyva found more Spanish and Native American soldiers and helpers in Santa Barbara, Chihuahua. They then continued into what is now New Mexico. They stayed there for about a year, living among the Pueblo people near the Rio Grande river. There were no Spanish settlers in New Mexico at that time. However, some other adventurers or people looking for slaves might have been living among the Pueblos.

The Journey and Its Challenges

Jusepe later told the story of the expedition to Juan de Oñate, another important Spanish leader.

Humana, Leyva, and their group of Spanish and Native American soldiers and helpers left New Mexico. They headed east, hoping to find rich kingdoms that people rumored were nearby. Their path took them past the Native American village at Pecos. From there, they went onto the wide-open Great Plains of Texas. On the plains, they met the Vaquero (Apache) Indians. They found many rancherías (small settlements), some of which were empty. They also saw huge herds of bison, also known as American buffalo. Jusepe said they found plenty of water in marshes, springs, and arroyos (small streams). There were also many plum trees and nut trees.

At some point, they turned north. The further they went, the more bison they saw. After traveling for 45 days, they crossed two large rivers. Beyond these rivers was a very big Native American settlement. It was about 26 miles long and 2 miles wide. One of the two rivers flowed right through this settlement.

Jusepe described this "Great Settlement" briefly. The houses were built with wooden frames and straw roofs. They were close together, with narrow paths between them. In some areas, there were fields of corn, pumpkins, and beans between the houses. The people of the settlement welcomed the Spanish peacefully and gave them food. These people hunted buffalo and also farmed for their food.

After leaving the Settlement, they traveled three days north. They then came across a "multitude of buffalo." There were so many that the flat plain was completely covered with them, which amazed the explorers. However, they found no more Native American settlements.

During this part of the journey, a serious disagreement happened between the leaders. Humana spent an afternoon and morning in his tent, seemingly writing about the argument. Then he sent a soldier, Miguel Pérez, to call Leyva. Leyva came to Humana's tent, wearing only a shirt and pants. Humana then killed Captain Leyva. Leyva died and was quickly buried. Humana then showed "some papers" to his men. He said he had killed Leyva because Leyva had threatened to beat him with a stick.

The expedition continued, and ten days after leaving the Great Settlement, they reached a very large river. The river was about two-thirds of a mile wide, deep, and slow-moving. The explorers "did not dare to cross it." It was here that five of the Native Americans, including Jusepe, ran away from the group. Three of them got lost on the plains, and Native Americans killed another. Jusepe was captured by Apaches and lived with them for a year. He then escaped or was set free and made his way back to New Mexico. By this time (1596), Oñate and a large group of settlers had arrived in New Mexico. Jusepe settled at the San Juan Bautista Pueblo. On February 16, 1599, Oñate spoke with Jusepe to learn about the Humana and Leyva expedition.

Later stories from Native Americans said that Humana and the other members of the expedition were killed by Native Americans 18 days after leaving the Great Settlement.

Etzanoa, the "Great Settlement"

In 1601, Jusepe guided Juan de Oñate, who founded New Mexico, on a large expedition to the Plains. Jusepe took Oñate to the same area he had visited with Humana and Leyva. They found the "Great Settlement," which is now known as Etzanoa. It was located along the Walnut River in Arkansas City, Kansas. The people of the Great Settlement were almost certainly Wichita Indians, whom Oñate later called Rayados.

The large river where Jusepe left the expedition might have been the Missouri River, possibly near Kansas City. The Missouri River is about 500 yards wide there. This is not as wide as Jusepe estimated, but it is the largest river that could be reached in about 10 days from the Great Settlement. If this is correct, it would be the first known time Europeans visited the Missouri River.

However, some parts of Jusepe's story don't quite fit. He said that three days north of the Great Settlement, they saw "such a multitude of buffalo that the plain... was so covered with them that they were startled and amazed." If the Great Settlement was at Wichita or Arkansas City, traveling three days toward the Missouri River would put the expedition in the rocky Flint Hills, not a flat plain. Also, in the past, buffalo were more common in the shorter grass prairies to the west, not the tall grass prairies to the east. These small differences in Jusepe's account continue to make people wonder about the exact route.

Some people have suggested the "great river" was the Kansas River, which could be deep and wide during high water. The Platte River in Nebraska has also been suggested. But this idea would mean that the routes of Humana, Leyva, and Oñate, and the location of the Great Settlement, would need to be completely re-thought.

See also

In Spanish: Expedición de Umana y Leyba para niños