Route of Coronado Expedition
Claude, Armstrong County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Led by Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, this trail-blazing expedition set out from Mexico City in 1541 in search of Cibola, fabled 7 Cities of Gold. Finding only Indian pueblos, Coronado changed his course for Quivira, a supposedly wealthy Indian kingdom. This quest brought the entourage across the Panhandle plains to present Tule Canyon. Then with 30 men, Coronado went north by "Needle Point" -- a route taking in Palo Duro Canyon and present Armstrong County, via Claude. He next continued into Kansas, but failing to find riches, returned to Mexico in 1542. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1541 Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, having found only Native pueblos instead of the fabled golden Cities of Cíbola, pressed on across the Texas Panhandle toward another rumored kingdom, Quivira. His expedition crossed these plains and canyons before turning north into Kansas, where the promised riches again failed to appear, sending him back to Mexico in 1542. The route threaded through the dramatic country around Palo Duro and Tule Canyon.
Why it matters
Coronado's fruitless march was among the first European incursions onto the Southern Plains, opening centuries of contact—and collision—between Spain and the Indigenous nations of the interior.
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Related people
- · Francisco Vázquez de Coronado
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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