Estevanico is the first “recognized” Black man to arrive in the present-day United States.(We now know he wasn’t the first) He was with the Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez in 1527 to colonize Florida and the Gulf Coast. Estevanico became the explorers’ interpreter because he was skilled in Linguistics. He learned the languages of the Indians in a matter of weeks. He also became a healer among the Indians because of his knowledge of herbs and medicines. In 1539 Estevanico agreed to lead an expedition in search of the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola and to prepare the way for Spanish conquistador, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. He went ahead and sent back runners every day with information and wooden crosses, which were supposed to indicate the excellence of the country. A small cross would mean that things were going well, but nothing important had been found. A larger cross would indicate a land better than Mexico. The exuberant Estevanico only sent back immense crosses! Estevanico was extremely popular with the Indians he met. Hundreds of admirers, especially women, would follow him along the way. Estevanico was the first European explorer to enter the states of Arizona and New Mexico even though its credited to Marcos de Niza who was sick and didn’t even continue the expedition.