Emily Chan
When the conquistadors reached Etzanoa, they began taking hostages, causing the city’s residents to flee.
They explored the area for a while but decided to return home in case the people they uprooted from their homes launched an attack on them.
As they made the trek back to New Mexico, over 1,000 members of the Escanxaque tribe attacked them. After losing the battle, the conquistadors never returned to the area.
Almost a century later, French explorers arrived in south-central Kansas but did not find any sign of Etzanoa or its people.
It was presumed that a disease eradicated the population. The existence of the city came to light when Blakeslee and his team unearthed remnants of the ancient battle.
It’s possible that more large-scale lost cities are hidden nearby. Overall, these types of finds help paint a clearer picture of early American history.
