Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was an explorer who was born
to a noble family in Spain, in the year 1510. He grew up living in Spain, and
moved to the new world in 1535, leaving his family. He was elected governor of
New Spain, which is currently Mexico, and married his wife there. He had heard
about a city called Cibola, which contained many riches and treasures, and he
set out to find it leading an expedition. Unfortunately, the city was never
found and Coronado was very disappointed, but did not give up, he sent more men
in different directions and they explored what would later be known as the
Southwest United States, areas including, Arizona, California, and Mexico. He
was however, the first explorer to set eyes on the Grand Canyon, which even
today is a fantastic sight. After finishing the expedition, he settled down in
Mexico City and became a member of the council there. Coronado died in peace in
Mexico City in 1554. One of the motivations of the explorers of this time, was
to bring wealth to their home or native country and have wealth for themselves.
This was one thing that drove Coronado to explore and he became famous as the
first explorer to see the Grand Canyon even though he did not find what he set
out for.
Information gathered from: Ron Paul Curriculum 7th
grade history class.
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