Exploring States Traversed By Coronado In The Past

In the 16th century, Spanish conquistador and explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led an expedition from Mexico to present-day Kansas, through parts of the southwestern United States. During his journey, he travelled through what are now the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas.

Arizona

After leaving Culiacán on April 22, 1540, Coronado followed the coast, bearing off to the left, and traveled by an extremely rough way to the Sinaloa River. The configuration of the country made it necessary to follow the river valley until he could find a passage across the mountains to the course of the Yaqui River. He traveled alongside this stream for some distance, then crossed to the Rio Sonora, which he followed nearly to its source before discovering Montezuma Pass.

On the southern side of the Huachuca Mountains, Coronado found a stream he called the Nexpa, which may have been either the Santa Cruz or the San Pedro in modern Arizona. The party followed this river valley until they reached the edge of the wilderness, where they found Chichilticalli in southern Arizona, in the Sulphur Springs Valley, within the bend of the Dos Cabezas and Chiricahua Mountains. This was a crushing disappointment, as Cíbola was nothing like the great golden city that had been described to Coronado. Instead, it was just a village of nondescript pueblos constructed by the Zuni.

From the headwaters of the Little Colorado River, Coronado continued on until he came to the Zuni River. He followed the river until he entered the territory controlled by the Zuni, where he attacked the Zuni people and set up camp in the pueblo of Hawikuh. During the weeks that the expedition stayed at Zuni, Coronado sent out several scouting expeditions. One expedition, led by Pedro de Tovar, headed northwest to the Hopi communities of Tusayan. Upon arrival, the Spanish were denied entrance to the village and once again resorted to force to enter.

Another scouting expedition was sent out to find the Colorado River, led by Don García López de Cárdenas. This expedition returned to Hopi territory to acquire scouts and supplies. Members of Cárdenas's party eventually reached the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where they could see the Colorado River thousands of feet below, becoming the first non-Native Americans to do so.

New Mexico

Coronado set up camp in Hawikuh, and sent out several scouting expeditions. One expedition, led by Pedro de Tovar, headed northwest to the Hopi communities of Tusayan. Another expedition, led by Garcia López de Cárdenas, travelled west and became the first Europeans to discover the Grand Canyon. A third expedition, led by Hernando de Alvarado, marched eastward past Acoma and Tiguex pueblos to Cicuye (Pecos) pueblo, near modern-day Santa Fe.

In Cicuye, the Spaniards met "The Turk", a Plains Indian who told them of a wealthy nation called Quivira far to the east. In the spring of 1541, Coronado led his army, priests, and indigenous allies onto the Great Plains in search of Quivira. They crossed the Pecos River and Palo Duro Canyon, and entered the present-day state of Texas.

Texas

Coronado was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who, in 1540, led a large expedition from Mexico to present-day Kansas through parts of the southwestern United States. He was seeking the so-called Seven Golden Cities, which were believed to be filled with riches.

In the spring of 1541, after spending the winter of 1540-41 on the Rio Grande in modern-day New Mexico, Coronado and his army moved into Palo Duro Canyon in Texas. They encountered vast herds of bison and several Native American tribes, including the Teyas, who were probably Caddoan speakers and related to the Wichita. Coronado's meeting with the Teyas was likely in Blanco Canyon in Crosby County, Texas, where archaeologists have found crossbow points, horseshoe nails, and other artefacts of Spanish manufacture.

After his disappointing detour to Kansas, Coronado returned to Mexico in 1542 via Texas. He spent the winter of 1541-42 in the Tiguex Province in New Mexico before beginning his journey back to Mexico in early April 1542. It is likely that he travelled through the Texas Panhandle and Eastern New Mexico on his return trip, as he had done on his outbound journey.

Kansas

The Spanish conquistador and explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado travelled through many present-day states in the American Southwest during his expedition from 1540 to 1542. One of these states was Kansas, which he entered possibly near Liberal.

Coronado's journey through Kansas began when he crossed the Arkansas River on June 29, 1541, near the present-day town of Ford. The journals kept by Coronado and his scribes mention numerous encounters with "shaggy cows" (buffalo), which provided the Spaniards with much-needed food as their supplies ran short.

Coronado and his men continued to follow the Arkansas River to its great bend, where they encountered a Quiviran village in the present-day counties of Rice and McPherson. The Quivira Indians were described as large (over six and a half feet tall), dark-skinned, and tattooed. They lived in grass-covered houses and grew corn, beans, and melons. Despite his hopes of finding riches, Coronado was disappointed to find no gold in the village.

After spending about a month in Quivira, Coronado and his men returned to their base in Mexico. Although they did not find the gold and riches they had hoped for, Coronado wrote a positive report to the King of Spain, praising the fertility of the land and the abundance of natural resources.

The impact of Coronado's expedition extended beyond his lifetime. A large hill northwest of Lindsborg, Kansas, is named Coronado Heights, and it is believed that Coronado and his men viewed the prairie from this lookout point 300 feet above the valley floor. In 1915, a Bethany College professor named J.A. Udden found chain mail from Spanish armour in the area, and other artefacts such as Spanish coins, a bridle, and lead bars have also been discovered.

Sonora

In 1540, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led a Spanish expedition from Mexico to present-day Kansas, through parts of the southwestern United States. During his journey, he travelled through what are now the states of Arizona, Sonora, New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas.

After travelling alongside the Yaqui River for some time, Coronado crossed to the Rio Sonora, which he followed to its source before discovering Montezuma Pass. On the southern side of the Huachuca Mountains, he found a stream he called the Nexpa, which may have been the Santa Cruz or the San Pedro in modern Arizona. The party followed this river valley until they reached Chichilticalli in southern Arizona.

Chichilticalli was a crushing disappointment for Coronado and his men. They had been led to believe that they would find a golden city called Cíbola, but instead, they found a village of nondescript pueblos constructed by the Zuni. The soldiers were upset with the expedition's guide, Friar Marcos de Niza, for his imagination, so Coronado sent him back to Mexico in disgrace. Despite this, Coronado pressed on, travelling north on one side or the other of today's Arizona–New Mexico state line.

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