El Turco, or The Turk, (died August 5 1541) was a

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

(either Wichita or

Pawnee Pawnee initially refers to a Native American people and its language: * Pawnee people * Pawnee language Pawnee is also the name of several places in the United States: * Pawnee, Illinois * Pawnee, Kansas * Pawnee, Missouri * Pawnee City, Nebraska * ...

) guide and slave of

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (; 1510 – 22 September 1554) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who led a large expedition from what is now Mexico to present-day Kansas through parts of the southwestern United States between 1540 and 1542 ...

along with

Big Eyes ''Big Eyes'' is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. It is about the relationship between American artist Margaret Kea ...

and Ysopete. He was nicknamed El Turco by the Spaniards because of his similar appearance to Turks. He was held captive at Cicúique near contemporary Pecos. In spring 1541, he led the Spaniards to the city of

Quivira Quivira was a province of the ancestral Wichita people, located near the Great Bend of the Arkansas River in central Kansas, The exact site may be near present-day Lyons extending northeast to Salina. The Wichita city of Etzanoa, which flouris ...

which was said to hold gold, silver and rich textiles. After the Spaniards reached Quivira, they were disappointed to find out the stories were false and that El Turco had lied and conspired with the Quivirans to kill the Spaniards and their horses. As retribution, Francisco Vazquez de Colorado ordered his men to have him

garroted A garrote ( ; alternatively spelled as garotte and similar variants)''Oxford English Dictionary'', 11th Ed: garrotte is normal British English spelling, with single r alternate. Article title is US English spelling variant. or garrote vil () is ...

before leaving Quivira on August 5, 1541. Today El Turco is regarded as an Indigenous hero in a display at Albuquerque's

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, located in Albuquerque, is owned and operated by the 19 Indian Pueblos of New Mexico and dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of Pueblo Indian culture, history, and art. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Ce ...

because his

disinformation Disinformation is misleading content deliberately spread to deceive people, or to secure economic or political gain and which may cause public harm. Disinformation is an orchestrated adversarial activity in which actors employ strategic dece ...

led Vázquez de Coronado onto the Great Plains and thus relieved the beleaguered pueblos of Spanish depredations for at least a few months.

References

{{NorthAm-native-bio-stub Year of birth missing 1541 deaths 16th-century Native American people