Good myth

Rico says that the myth of the Seven Cities of Gold got started in Spain back in about 1150. Wikipedia says:

According to the legend, when the Moors conquered Mérida, seven bishops fled the city, not only to save their own lives but also to prevent the Muslims from obtaining sacred religious relics. Years later, a rumor circulated that in a far away land— a place unknown to the people of that time— the seven bishops had founded the cities of Cíbola and Quivira. The legend says that these cities grew very rich, mainly from gold and precious stones. This idea fueled many expeditions in search of the mythical cities during the following centuries. Eventually, the legend behind these cities grew to such an extent that no one spoke solely of Quivira and Cíbola, but instead of seven magnificent cities made of gold, one for each of the seven bishops who had left Mérida.

Rico says the problem is that the Mexicans haven't heard that the Seven Cities never existed. Worse yet, it's now transmogrified: "Edward Abbey's autobiographical recount of his summer as a park ranger at Arches National Park, Desert Solitaire, contains a reference to seven modern cities of Cibola including Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff..."