Jusepe Gutierrez facts for kids

Jusepe Gutierrez (also known as Joseph) was a Native Nahua guide and explorer. He was born around 1572. Jusepe was active in the 1590s, but his death date is unknown. He was the only known person to survive the Umana and Leyba expedition to the Great Plains in 1594 or 1595. Later, in 1599, he guided Vicente de Zaldivar. In 1601, he also guided Governor Juan de Oñate on trips to the plains.

Early Life and Journeys

Jusepe was born in Culiacan, Mexico, around 1572. He spoke Nahuatl, his native language. He could not read or write. Jusepe likely spoke some Spanish. However, he might not have been fluent, as an interpreter helped record his stories later. Jusepe's story is the only one we have about the Umana and Leyba expedition. He probably took the last name of Antonio Gutierrez de Umana, who was his employer.

In 1593, Umana asked Jusepe to join him on a trip into what would become New Mexico. Umana gathered more soldiers and helpers in Santa Barbara, Chihuahua. This was the northernmost Spanish settlement in New Spain (Mexico at that time). The group then traveled north to New Mexico. At this time, no Spanish settlers lived in New Mexico. Jusepe and Umana stayed for about a year among the Pueblo people. They mostly lived in San Ildefonso, near the Rio Grande river.

The Umana and Leyba Expedition

The trip led by Umana and Francisco Leyba de Bonilla (also called Humana and Leyva) was done without permission from the Spanish government. The group included Spanish soldiers and native Mexicans. We do not know how many people joined Umana and Leyba. Jusepe is the only source of information about this trip. He told his story to Governor Oñate in 1599.

Umana and Leyba left New Mexico, probably in 1595. They traveled east, hoping to find large cities and rich kingdoms. Their path from San Ildefonso took them past the Pueblo town at Pecos, New Mexico. Then they went onto the Great Plains, in what is now Texas. There, they met the Apache people. They found many small villages, some empty, and large herds of bison. Jusepe said they found plenty of water in marshes, springs, and creeks. They also saw many plum trees and nuts.

Jusepe said they traveled north. The farther they went, the more bison they saw. After about 45 days, they reached two large rivers. Beyond these rivers was a very big native settlement. It stretched for about 26 miles (42 kilometers) and was two leagues wide. One of the two rivers flowed through this settlement.

Jusepe gave a short description of this "Great Settlement." It might have been Etzanoa, near where Arkansas City, Kansas is today. The houses were built with wooden frames and straw roofs. They were close together, with narrow paths between them. In some places, there were fields of maize (corn), pumpkins, and beans between the houses. The people of the settlement welcomed the Spanish peacefully and gave them food. They hunted bison and also farmed.

Three days' travel north of this settlement, they found "a multitude of buffalo." But they found no more native settlements. The leaders, Umana and Leyba, began to argue. After a long discussion, Umana called Leyba to his tent and killed him with a knife. Umana told his soldiers that Leyba had threatened him. The group then continued. Ten days past the Great Settlement, they reached a very large river. The river was about two-thirds of a mile (just over a kilometer) wide. It was deep and flowed slowly. Jusepe said, "They did not dare to cross it."

This is where five of the Mexicans, including Jusepe, left the group. Three got lost on the plains. Local native people killed another. Jusepe was captured by Apaches. He lived with them for a year. Then he escaped or was set free. He made his way back to New Mexico. By this time, Oñate and many settlers had arrived in New Mexico. Jusepe lived at the San Juan Bautista Pueblo. On February 16, 1599, Oñate asked Jusepe about the Umana and Leyba expedition. His story was written down.

Later reports say that Umana and the other members of the expedition were killed by native people 18 days beyond the Great Settlement.

The Zaldivar Expedition

On September 15, 1599, Sergeant Major Vicente de Zaldivar Mendoza led about 60 soldiers east from New Mexico to the Great Plains. Jusepe Gutierrez served as their guide and interpreter. He had learned the Apache language while living with them. The goal of this trip was to get much-needed meat for the settlers. They also wanted to see if bison could be caught and tamed.

Jusepe likely led Zaldivar on the same path he had taken with Umana and Leyba. They crossed the Pecos River. They caught catfish in the Gallinas River. Six leagues (about 15 miles or 24 kilometers) later, they met Apaches and found a village. Zaldivar and Jusepe became friends with the Apaches. As they continued, they saw their first bison, probably near what is now Conchas.

Perhaps near Logan, the Spanish and their Mexican helpers built a corral. They tried to herd bison into it from a plain where they saw "100,000" of them. It was a difficult task, as the bison were impossible to capture. However, Zaldivar got a lot of dried meat. After exploring more of eastern New Mexico, near today's Texas border, he returned to the Spanish settlements. They arrived on November 8, 1599.

Oñate Follows the Route

In 1601, Juan de Oñate, the founder and governor of the new colony of New Mexico, led a large trip to the Great Plains. He relied on Jusepe Gutierrez as his guide. Jusepe led Oñate to the same areas he had visited with Umana and Leyba. Oñate and Jusepe followed the Canadian River through the Texas Panhandle. When they reached Oklahoma, they found sand dunes. These made it hard for their oxcarts to pass. So, Oñate decided to turn north, away from the Canadian River, to go to the "Great Settlement."

On the way, he found a large camp of friendly native people he called Escanjaques. These people were enemies of those in the Great Settlement. Oñate called the people of the Great Settlement "Rayados." This was because they tattooed or painted their faces. Rayado means "striped" in Spanish.

Unlike their welcome to Umana and Leyba, the people of the Great Settlement ran away when Oñate arrived. Oñate feared an attack on his 70 Spanish and unknown number of Mexican soldiers. So, he turned back toward New Mexico. The Escanjaques also became unfriendly. They attacked Oñate, fighting a long battle with him. The reason for the battle is not clear. It might have been because Oñate had taken several boys. He planned to take them back to New Mexico to teach them about Christianity and to serve as interpreters.

The story of Oñate's trip helps us guess where the Great Settlement was. It was possibly called Etzanoa by its people. It was probably either where Wichita, Kansas is today, or along the Walnut River in Arkansas City, Kansas. Discoveries from archaeology suggest the Walnut River location.

The Large River Mystery

An interesting part of Jusepe's story about the Umana and Leyba expedition is his mention of a large river. They found this river about ten days north of the Great Settlement. The river that best fits Jusepe's description is the Missouri, perhaps near Kansas City. The Missouri is about 500 yards (450 meters) wide at this point. This is not as wide as Jusepe guessed. However, it is the largest river that could be reached on foot in about 10 days from the Great Settlement. If true, this would be the first known visit of Europeans to the Missouri River.

What does not fit well with this possible route is Jusepe's comment. He said that three days beyond the Great Settlement, they found "such a multitude of buffalo that the plain - which was level, for there are no mountains -- was so covered with them that they were startled and amazed at the sight." If the Great Settlement was at Wichita or Arkansas City, three days' travel toward the Missouri River would put the group in the rocky Flint Hills, not a flat plain. Also, in the past, buffalo were most common in the shorter grass prairies west of Longitude 97. They were less common in the tall grass prairies to the east. These differences in Jusepe's story still make historians wonder and discuss.

Perhaps the "large river" was the Kansas. During high water, it would have been deep and wide. The Platte River in Nebraska has also been suggested. But that would mean a big change in how we understand the routes of Umana, Leyba, and Oñate, and where the Great Settlement was.

Jusepe's Legacy

Jusepe Gutierrez was one of many native Mexican soldiers, helpers, and enslaved people who assisted the Spanish in their explorations. Most of these people are not known by name today. We do not know anything more about Jusepe after Oñate's group returned to New Mexico in November 1601.