Seven Cities of Gold

For other uses, seeSeven Cities of Gold (disambiguation).

The myth of theSeven Cities of Gold,also known as theSeven Cities of Cíbola(/ˈsiːbələ/), was popular in the 16th century and later featured in several works of popular culture. According to legend, the seven cities of gold referred toAztecmythology revolving around thePueblosof the SpanishNuevo México,modernNew MexicoandSouthwestern United States.

1720 North America Geographicus byDutchcartographerHenri Abraham Chatelain

Besides "Cíbola", names associated with similar lost cities of gold also includedEl Dorado,Paititi,City of the Caesars,Lake Parime at Manoa,Antilia,andQuivira.

Origins of myth/legend

In the 16th century, theSpaniardsinNew Spain(Mexico) began to hear rumors of "Seven Cities of Gold" called"Cíbola"located across the desert, hundreds of miles to the north.The stories may have their root in an earlierPortugueselegend about seven cities founded on the island ofAntilliaby a Catholic expedition in the 8th century, or one based on the capture ofMérida, Spain,by theMoorsin 1150.

The later Spanish tales were largely caused by reports given by the four shipwrecked survivors of the failedNarváez expedition,which included explorersÁlvar Núñez Cabeza de VacaandEstevanico.Eventually returning toNew Spain,Estevanico then ventured back north and reports of him contained references to cities with great and limitless riches.In1539,ItalianFranciscanMarco da NizzareachedZuni Puebloand called itCibola.However, when conquistadorFrancisco Vázquez de Coronadofinally arrived at Cíbola in 1540, he discovered that the stories were unfounded and that there were, in fact, no treasures as the friar had described—only adobe towns.

While among the towns, Coronado heard an additional rumor from a native he called "the Turk": that there was a city with plenty of gold calledQuivira,located on the other side of the Great Plains. However, when at last he reached this place (variously conjectured to be in modern Kansas, Nebraska, or Missouri), he found little more than straw-thatched villages.

The historic Cíbola on the other hand is recorded in Spanish sources as another name for the Zuñi pueblo and the surrounding country. The Spanish soon discovered rich copper and turquoise mines in the Pueblo country which made the region famous for its mineral wealth even in recent times. The Pueblo Indians, including the Zuñi, are still well known for their turquoise and silver work.

In popular culture

Literature

• The novelThe King's FifthbyScott O'Delltells the story of one such (fictional) expedition through the eyes of a teenagecartographer.
• Texas(1985) byJames A. Michenerreferences the site as a background to early Spanish exploration.
• InThe StandbyStephen King,Trashcan Man is instructed byRandall Flaggto meet him in Cibola, which is later revealed to beLas Vegas.
• Edward Abbey's autobiographical recount of his summer as a park ranger at Arches National Park,Desert Solitaire,contains a reference to "seven modern cities of Cibola" including Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, and Flagstaff.
• Romance authorKristin Hannah'sThe Enchantment(1992) is about a quest for the legendary lost city of Cibola in the late 1800s.
• Cibola Burnis the fourth book in the science fiction novel seriesThe ExpansebyJames S. A. Corey.The novel describes the flood of humanity out into the galaxy and the race for the newly accessible resources therein.

Films

• The 1955 filmSeven Cities of Goldstarring Richard Egan, Anthony Quinn, and Michael Rennie tells the story of a 1769 Spanish expedition to California led by Gaspar De Portola to search of gold and to set up Spanish colonies. However, Father Junipero Serra is there to set up a network of Roman Catholic missions.
• The 1958 filmThe Lone Ranger and the Lost City of Gold,starringClayton MooreandJay Silverheels,features three medallions which combine to make a treasure map revealing the location of a hoard of gold.
• The 1992 film¡O No Coronado!byCraig Baldwindetails Coronado's ill-fated expedition, in the context of contemporary treatment of indigenous Americans and usage of their traditional lands.
• Cíbola was discovered beneathMount RushmoreinNational Treasure: Book of Secrets,a 2007 film starringNicolas CageandDiane Kruger.

Television

• The quest for Cíbola was in a 1966 episode of the U.S. television seriesDaniel BoonewithFess Parker.
• The Mysterious Cities of Goldis a 1982 Japanese/French animated children's series which spawned a sequel in 2012.

Music

• "Seven Cities of Gold" is the seventh track on theClockwork Angelsalbum byRush.The lyrics were inspired by lyricistNeil Peart's fascination for southwestern US history.

Comics

• Scrooge McDuckand his nephews discover the seven cities in the comic "The Seven Cities of Cibola" (Uncle Scrooge#7, September 1954), written and drawn byCarl Barks.
• The Vertigo/DC comic book seriesJack of Fablesrecently began a storyline called "Americana" which relates the efforts of Jack of the Tales in entering Cíbola (issue 17, January 8 cover date).
• There is an arc in the Italian Western/science fiction comicZagorabout seven cities of gold which were abandoned and were remnants of an ancient highly developed civilization (Zagor #355-357, ITA/CRO: "Le sette città di Cibola" / "Sedam gradova Cibole" ).
• In the albumsBeyond the Windy IslesandCeltic Tales(respectively1970–1971and 1971–1972), Hugo Pratt putsCorto Malteseon the track of these cities.

Video games

• Electronic Arts published the video gameThe Seven Cities of Goldin 1984.
• The video gameUncharted: Golden AbyssusesQuivira(one of the Seven Cities of Gold) as a final destination for the quest. The game also gives an explanation whyMarcos de Nizalied about the location of the cities even though he really did find them.
• The video gameEuropa Universalis IVhas theEl Doradoexpansion which gives colonizing nations the ability to hunt for the Seven Cities of Gold in the New World.
• In the turn-based strategy gameSid Meier's Colonization(1994), scouting lost city ruins (tiles in the map) may result in finding one or more of the Seven Cities of Cibola, granting the player a treasure with a huge amount of gold.
• The Western genre gameGuncenters on a land baron's search for Quivira in the 1880s.
• InCivilization Revolutionfor Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo DS, players can find the Seven Cities of Gold. The player who finds the Seven Cities of Gold receives 200 to 350 gold pieces, depending on the era, to spend on building cities, military units, settlers (people who found new cities) or roads.
• In the turn-based strategy gameSid Meier's Civilization V,the Spanish unique ability is called Seven Cities of Gold, where the player receives bonus gold for discovering natural wonders.

See also

• Shambhala
• Shangdu
• Shangri-La
• Sierra de la Plata