Marcos de Niza (c. 1495- 25 March 1558) was a Franciscan friar from Italian-controlled Nice. In 1539, Fray Marcos was part of Spanish conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's expedition into the areas north of New Spain in search of the legendary Seven Cities of Gold. He was part of an advance group that included Moorish slave Estevánico. Fray Marcos saw the Zuni village of Hawikuh from a distance, and returned to New Spain with exaggerated claims of its wealth. The following year, Coronado and his men arrived at Hawikuh and discovered the truth. Coronado spared Marcos's life, but sent him back to New Spain in disgrace.