Ysopete (unknown–unknown)

Type: Biography

Published: 1952

Updated: October 1, 1995

Ysopete (Isopete), a captive of the Pecos Pueblo Indians, was given to Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in 1541 to serve as a guide to Quivira. He was said by his captors to be a native of Quivira and was referred to by the Spanish as "a painted Indian," possibly a Pawnee. Ysopete accused El Turco of lying and leading Coronado in the wrong direction and denied that there was any gold and silver on the plains. He was unheeded by the Spanish until his story was verified by some plains Indians. Ysopete then replaced El Turco in Coronado's confidence. He was set free at Quivira.

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Carlos E. Castañeda, Our Catholic Heritage in Texas (7 vols., Austin: Von Boeckmann-Jones, 1936–1958; rpt., New York: Arno, 1976). Frederick Webb Hodge and Theodore H. Lewis, eds., Spanish Explorers in the Southern United States, 1528–1543 (New York: Scribner, 1907; rpt., Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1984).

Categories:

Peoples
Native American
Exploration
Guides, Scouts, and Interpreters

The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.

Anonymous, “Ysopete,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed July 03, 2022, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/ysopete.

Published by the Texas State Historical Association.

Original Publication Date:: 1952
Most Recent Revision Date:: October 1, 1995

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