Who Was Coronado, And Why Is There So Much Named After Him?

Growing up in Sierra Vista, I have noticed a trend. So much stuff in the area is named after Coronado, from an elementary school to national monuments and roads. Who was this guy, and why have we named so many things after him?

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Coronado

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado was born in 1510 in Salamanca, Spain, to a noble family. His first visit to the Americas happened when he was just 25 years old, and he moved to "New Spain," now modern-day Mexico.

While in New Spain, he married the daughter of the colonial treasurer, boosting his wealth and power. He became the governor of New Galicia, a very important Spanish province, after crushing a slave uprising.

READ: Cochise County's Historical Gems: Forts And Ancient Sites

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The Coronado Expedition

Coronado lived by the G's: God, Glory, and Gold. At th age of 30, rumors reached him about the 7 cities of gold, fabled cities in North America said to be packed full of riches. In 1540, he assembled a group of 300 Spanish soldiers and accompanied over 1,000 Tlaxcalan Indian allies, setting off to discover these legendary cities.

After experiencing no success in Mexico, he began to head north, where he discovered vast deserts, the Grand Canyon, and native tribes. While exploring, he wrote a letter to the king, stating

I reached some plains so vast, that I did not find their limit anywhere I went, although I traveled over them for more than 300 leagues ... with no more land marks than if we had been swallowed up by the sea .... [T]here was not a stone, nor bit of rising ground, nor a tree, nor a shrub, nor anything to go by.

During his expedition, he discovered a city he claimed was bigger than the city of Mexico. Not only that, he came in contact with the Zuni, Hopi, and other native tribes. His interactions with these tribes were not peaceful, as his search for gold likely led him to believe that every town he came across had gold. He never actually found any and left bodies everywhere he explored.

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His Legacy

Despite the violence that was brought about by his expedition, Coronado still made many discoveries. He is cited as the first European explorer to record the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River, and certain native tribes in the area. He explored Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Kansas.

Due to his impact on european exploration, many canyons, towns, roads, schools, and forests were named after him. Despite the fact he returned to Mexico wthout any gold, glory, or the riches he had promised, the effects of his expidition stil linger on the lands today.

CONTINUE READING: How Ed Shefflin Discovered Silver And Founded Tombstone