SEDONA, Ariz. — The rich, complex, and often misunderstood history of the American Southwest is taking center stage in the Verde Valley. Gary Every, the Poet Laureate of Sedona, has launched a new, free public lecture series aimed at unpacking the region’s diverse past. Hosted at the Sedona Winds Independent Living community in the Village of Oak Creek, the series debuted on August 7 with a deep dive into the lives of the Spanish conquistadors and the marginalized figures who guided them.
Through this educational initiative, Every aims to challenge conventional, Eurocentric historical narratives. By bringing lesser-known historical truths to the public, the series seeks to foster a more nuanced appreciation of the cultural, social, and geopolitical forces that shaped modern-day Arizona.
Main Facts: Deconstructing the Conquistador Myth
The inaugural lecture focused on a critical, yet frequently overlooked, chapter of North American exploration: the Narváez Expedition of 1527 and its aftermath. While standard history textbooks often attribute the European exploration of the Southwest exclusively to Spanish noblemen, Every presented a narrative that centers on an African Muslim man named Esteban de Dorantes (historically known as Estevanico).
====================================================================
THE NARVÁEZ EXPEDITION AT A GLANCE
====================================================================
* Departure Year: 1527
* Initial Fleet Size: 5 Ships, approx. 600 men
* Target Destination: Florida and the Gulf Coast
* Primary Survivors: 4 (out of 600)
* Distance Traveled: ~5,000 miles on foot
* Key Figure: Esteban de Dorantes (Estevanico)
====================================================================According to Every, Esteban—an enslaved man from Azemmour, Morocco—was the actual vanguard of post-Columbian exploration in what is now the Southwestern United States.
"The first post-Columbian explorer, again and again in the Southwest, was this Black Muslim man," Every explained to the audience. "This is not how we traditionally picture conquistadors, yet his linguistic skills, adaptability, and survival instincts made the subsequent Spanish expeditions possible."
Every’s presentation detailed how the Spanish colonial apparatus relied on legalistic and theological justifications to seize land, most notably through a document known as the Requerimiento. This manifesto was read aloud to Indigenous populations in Spanish—a language they did not speak—demanding immediate submission to the Spanish Crown and conversion to Christianity under threat of war, enslavement, and death.
Chronology: From the Florida Coast to the Zuni Pueblo
The historical timeline presented by Every spans more than a decade of survival, migration, and cultural clash, mapping a 5,000-mile journey across the North American continent.
1527: The Departure of the Narváez Expedition
The expedition, led by Pánfilo de Narváez, departed Spain with five ships and approximately 600 men. Authorized by King Charles V, the mission’s goal was to establish colonial settlements and search for gold along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Esteban sailed as the personal slave of Captain Andrés Dorantes de Carranza.
1528: Disaster and Shipwreck
The expedition suffered catastrophic failures almost immediately. Hostile encounters with Apalachee archers—whose powerful bows could drive arrows clean through Spanish plate armor—combined with disease, starvation, and a devastating hurricane, decimated the crew.
Desperate to escape, the survivors melted down their iron armor, stirrups, and weapons to construct five crude, makeshift rafts. In September 1528, a violent storm scattered the rafts, washing roughly 80 survivors ashore near Galveston Island off the coast of Texas.
1528–1536: The Eight-Year Odyssey
Of the 80 men who survived the shipwreck, only four remained alive after years of enslavement, disease, and starvation among various indigenous tribes:
- Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (Treasurer of the expedition)
- Alonso del Castillo Maldonado
- Andrés Dorantes de Carranza
- Esteban de Dorantes
During their eight-year trek across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, the four survivors transformed their social status from captives to revered faith healers. Esteban emerged as the primary diplomat and scout, mastering sign language and several Indigenous dialects to facilitate safe passage through diverse territories.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| ESTEBAN'S PATHWAY TO SURVIVAL |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1527: Enslaved on the Narváez Expedition |
| | |
| 1528: Shipwrecked on Galveston Island; captured by natives |
| | |
| 1528-1535: Learns continental sign language & 7-8 languages |
| | |
| 1536: Escapes to Culiacán; becomes renowned scout & healer |
| | |
| 1539: Leads Fray Marcos de Niza's expedition; reaches Zuni |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+July 1536: Arrival in Culiacán
The four survivors finally made contact with Spanish slave-hunters in Culiacán, in modern-day Sinaloa, Mexico. Their harrowing tales of vast territories to the north sparked intense speculation about wealthy, gold-laden civilizations, feeding the myth of the "Seven Cities of Gold" (Cíbola).
1539: The Fated Expedition to Cíbola
Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza purchased Esteban from Dorantes to serve as the chief guide for a reconnaissance mission led by the Franciscan friar Marcos de Niza. Esteban traveled ahead of the main party as a scout. In May 1539, he reached the Zuni pueblo of Hawikuh (near modern-day Gallup, New Mexico), making him the first non-Native person to establish contact with the Zuni. It was here that Esteban met his death under circumstances that remain a subject of historical debate.
Supporting Data: Epidemics, Weapons, and the Logistics of Conquest
To understand the scale of the Spanish entry into the Southwest, Every provided critical context regarding the ecological and technological disparities between the Europeans and the Indigenous populations.
The Myth of Technological Superiority
While the Spanish possessed firearms, steel swords, and plate armor, these technologies proved ineffective in the swampy terrains of Florida and the arid expanses of the Southwest.
- Armor vs. Archery: Spanish records document that Apalachee bows could penetrate standard chainmail and steel breastplates due to the high velocity and force of the arrows.
- Logistical Collapse: Without grazing land for horses and gunpowder dry enough to use, the conquistadors were forced to slaughter their mounts for food and melt down their weaponry to build escape rafts, neutralizing their primary military advantages.
Demographic Collapse
The introduction of European pathogens—such as smallpox, measles, and influenza—preceded the physical arrival of the conquistadors in many regions, traveling along established Indigenous trade routes.
====================================================================
ESTIMATED NATIVE AMERICAN MORTALITY RATES
(Post-Contact Southwest, Mid-16th Century)
====================================================================
* Average Population Decline: 80% to 90% within decades
* Primary Pathogens: Smallpox, Measles, Typhus
* Societal Impact: Collapse of agricultural systems,
loss of oral histories, and
vulnerability to colonial expansion.
===================================================================="What would you do if 80% of Sedona disappeared tomorrow?" Every asked, prompting the audience to consider the societal trauma experienced by Indigenous communities. "Where would you get gas? Who would stock the grocery stores? The societal structure of these native nations was completely shattered by plague before the Spanish even established permanent settlements."
Official Responses and Historical Interpretation
The legacy of Esteban de Dorantes and the early Spanish expeditions continues to be analyzed by historians, anthropologists, and federal agencies like the National Park Service (NPS).
According to historical briefs from the Coronoy National Memorial, the testimonies provided by Cabeza de Vaca and Esteban directly influenced Spanish geopolitical strategy:
"The testimonies from their journey would fuel the rumors of wealthy civilizations in the north. Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza began dreaming of the expedition to find these fabled cities of ‘Tierra Nueva’ and desired experienced travelers to lead a reconnaissance expedition to scout the region."
However, the exact circumstances of Esteban’s death at Hawikuh in 1539 remain contested. Every presented the traditional narrative alongside academic counterpoints:
- The Divine Test Theory: In his lecture, Every noted that Esteban traveled with a greyhound and was accompanied by Indigenous servants carrying his plates. To the Zuni, who had never seen a Black man or a European-style ambassador, Esteban’s appearance and demands were suspicious. According to some oral accounts, the Zuni drew straws to select a warrior to shoot Esteban with an arrow. The action was a test of his mortality: if he was a god, he would survive; if he was human, he would die.
- The Diplomatic Violation Theory: In contrast, historian David J. Weber, in his seminal work The Spanish Frontier in North America, offers a different explanation based on Spanish colonial records. Weber writes that the Zuni told explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado that they executed Esteban because of the inappropriate liberties he had taken with Zuni women, alongside his demands for turquoise and other valuables.
Implications: Rethinking the Narrative of the Southwest
The launch of Every’s lecture series highlights a growing public appetite for inclusive history that highlights marginalized figures. By focusing on Esteban de Dorantes, the series illustrates that the exploration of the American Southwest was not a simple binary of Spanish conquest versus Indigenous resistance. Instead, it was an intricate web of African, European, and diverse Native American interactions.
For the residents of the Verde Valley, these lectures provide vital context to the geography they inhabit. The legacy of these early encounters laid the groundwork for the establishment of Spanish land grants, the creation of historic mining towns, and the complex relationship between regional tribes and subsequent settlers.
Upcoming Lecture Details
Every’s educational series will continue with a focus on local history closer to home. The next free public presentation will explore the hidden corners, ghost towns, and ancestral sites of the local area.
- Topic: Ghost Towns, American Indian Ruins, and Lesser-Known Places of the Verde Valley
- Date & Time: Friday, September 25, at 11:00 a.m.
- Location: Sedona Winds Independent Living, Village of Oak Creek
- Contact Information: For reservations or further inquiries, members of the public are advised to call 928-284-1021 and request to speak with Norene.
