The Oldest Maps of the Great Plains

Abstract

This essay discusses maps that reflect two very different traditions of cartography. Both, however, derive from the expedition to the Great Plains led by Juan de Oñate in 1601. Archaeological evidence that confirms the location of the Native settlement called Etzanoa, which is shown on both maps, allows revision of prior interpretations of both. That process sheds new light on an old story about a city of gold.