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The 16th-century Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (c. 1510-1554) was serving as governor of an important province in New Spain (Mexico) when he heard reports of the so-called Seven Golden Cities located to the north. In 1540, Coronado led a major Spanish expedition up Mexico’s western coast and into the region that is now the southwestern United States. Though the explorers found none of the storied treasure, they did discover the Grand Canyon and other major physical landmarks of the region, and clashed violently with local Indians. With his expedition labeled a failure by Spanish colonial authorities, Coronado returned to Mexico, where he died in 1554.

By 1540, reports brought back from explorations made by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and confirmed by missionary Marcos de Niza convinced Mendoza of the presence of vast riches to the north, located in the so-called Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola. Excited by the prospect of such immense wealth, Coronado joined Mendoza as an investor in a major expedition, which he himself would lead, of some 300 Spaniards and more than 1,000 Indians, along with many horses, pigs, ships and cattle. The main thrust of the expedition departed in February 1540 from Compostela, the capital of Nueva Galicia.

Four arduous months later, Coronado led an advance group of cavalrymen to the first city of Cíbola, which in reality was the Zuni Pueblo town of Hawikuh, located in what would become New Mexico. When the Indians resisted Spanish efforts to subdue the town, the better-armed Spaniards forced their way in and caused the Zunis to flee; Coronado was hit by a stone and wounded during the battle. Finding no riches, Coronado’s men set out on further explorations of the region. During one of these smaller expeditions, García López de Cárdenas became the first European to sight the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River in what is now Arizona. Another group, led by Pedro de Tovar, traveled to the Colorado Plateau.