Near Route of the Coronado Expedition

The leader came home to an inquiry. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, born at Salamanca in 1510, had come to Mexico in 1535 with Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, married Beatriz de Estrada and was named governor of Nueva Galicia in 1538. After the expedition returned in 1542 he faced an official examination of his conduct as its leader and as governor. He was cleared of the charges about the expedition but fined on others and lost his commission. He served on the Mexico City council until his death on September 22, 1554, and was buried in Santo Domingo Church.

What the plaque says

Near Route of the Coronado Expedition One of the first explorations of North America by Spain, the Coronado Expedition began in Mexico in April of 1540 and crossed into Texas at or near present-day Parmer County. The party, led by Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, was sent to investigate reports of great wealth among the native peoples. In one city, Quivira, the ruler reputedly ate from gold plates. After entering Texas, Coronado and 36 men separated from the main group and journeyed north. In the summer of 1541, on the present Kansas-Nebraska line, Coronado found Quivira -- an ordinary Native American village. After the winter of 1541-1542, the group returned to Mexico. (1969)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Blackwater Draw — 18 mi
  The site between Clovis and Portales that gave the Clovis culture its name, found by a nineteen-year-old in 1929 and dug for decades inside a working gravel pit.

More markers nearby

• Parmer County — steps away
• Clovis — 2.3 mi
• Ida O. Jackson — 11 mi
• Norman Petty Recording Studios Clovis — 12 mi