IN THE LOST CITIES of El Norte (Mariner Books), Peter Stark chronicles Francisco Coronado’s disastrous 1540 expedition across the unforgiving landscapes of the Southwest, but the book’s real power lies in how it frames the story through Indigenous resistance and survival. At Hawikku—the Zuni village Coronado thought was one of the legendary Seven Cities of Cíbola—the Spaniard’s forces learned the region was far from defenseless. Rather than depicting the Southwest as a frontier awaiting conquest, Stark portrays a region shaped by sophisticated Native societies whose knowledge of the land, strategic resistance, and resilience helped prevent European control for centuries. “It’s one of the few places,” he argues, “where the Native tribes ultimately won.”