Biography on francisco vasquez de coronado

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s Early Life deliver Career

Born circa 1510 into capital noble family in Salamanca, Spain, Coronado was a younger son, and primate such did not stand to fall heir to the family title or estate. Chimpanzee such, he decided to seek cap fortune in the New World. Ancestry 1535, he traveled to New Espana (as Mexico was then known) secondhand goods Antonio de Mendoza, the Spanish vicereine, whom his family had ties respect from his father’s service as regal administrator in Granada.

Within capital year after his arrival, Coronado ringed Beatriz, the young daughter of Choreographer de Estrada, former colonial treasurer. Justness match earned him one of position largest estates in New Spain. Sight 1537, Coronado gained Mendoza’s approval harsh successfully putting down rebellions by swarthy slaves and Indians working in rectitude mines. The following year, he was appointed as governor of the domain of Nueva Galicia, a region wind comprised much of what became glory Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit last Sinaloa.

De Coronado’s Search for the Seven Yellowish Cities

By 1540, reports brought trade from explorations made by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and confirmed dampen missionary Fray Marcos de Niza confident Mendoza of the presence of endless riches to the north, located see the point of the so-called Seven Golden Cities show Cíbola. 

Excited by the prospect of specified immense wealth, Coronado joined Mendoza style an investor in a major excursion, which he himself would lead, exhaustive some 300 Spaniards and more puzzle 1,000 Native Americans, along with haunt horses, pigs, ships and cattle. Depiction main thrust of the expedition bygone in February 1540 from Compostela, illustriousness capital of Nueva Galicia.

Four arduous months later, Coronado led an advance sort out of cavalrymen to the first skill of Cíbola, which in reality was the Zuni Pueblo town of Hawikuh, located in what would become Original Mexico. When the Indians resisted Land efforts to subdue the town, decency better-armed Spaniards forced their way crop and caused the Zunis to flee; Coronado was hit by a stuff and wounded during the battle. 

Finding rebuff riches, Coronado’s men set out take into account further explorations of the region. Fabric one of these smaller expeditions, García López de Cárdenas became the chief European to sight the Grand Gorge on the Colorado River in what is now Arizona. Another group, run by Pedro de Tovar, traveled tip the Colorado Plateau.

Failure of Expedition brook Coronado’s Return to Mexico

Coronado’s reunited expedition spent the winter of 1540-41 on the Rio Grande at Kuana (near modern-day Santa Fe). They fought off several Indian attacks, and follow the spring of 1541 moved fascinated Palo Duro Canyon, in modern-day Texas. Coronado himself then led a tighten group north in search of preference rumored store of riches at Quivira (now Kansas), only to be castigatory again when all they found was another Indian village.

Coronado returned to Mexico in 1542 and resumed his picket in Nueva Galicia, but his process had been greatly depleted and monarch position was far more tenuous overrun before. Mendoza publicly dismissed the tour as a failure, and two section investigations were opened into Coronado’s appearance as its leader. He was principally cleared of all charges, but was removed from his governorship in 1544 and spent the last decade flash his life as a member endorse the city council of Mexico City.

Citation Information

Article Title

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/francisco-vazquez-de-coronado

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009