Bernalillo in Sandoval County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

1. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Toward the end of February 1540, an army of nearly three hundred Spanish soldiers, one thousand Indian allies and slaves, one thousand horses, and at least five hundred mules and other stock, left the frontier town of Compostela, Mexico, and marched northward in search of the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. The Captain General of this expeditionary army was Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. The army returned to Mexico two years later after traveling over four thousand miles through country never before seen by the European. Coronado had prepared the way for further expeditions and eventual colonization of the Southwest by the Spanish.

Spanish:
A fines de Febrero de 1540, un ejército compuesto de cerca de trescientos soldados españoles, mil aliados y esclavos indios, mil caballos y por lo menos quinientas mulas y otras bestias, salió de la ciudad fronteriza de Compostela, en México y marchó hacia el Norte en busca de las legendarias Siete Ciudades Doradas de Cíbola. El Capitán General de este ejército explorador era Don Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. Dos años más tarde, el ejército regresó a México después de viajar por más de cuatro mil millas a través de tierras nunca antes vistas por los europeos. Así, Coronado había preparado la ruta para nuevas expediciones y para la eventual colonización española del Suroeste de los Estados Unidos.

Topics.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Hispanic Americans • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1540.

Location. 35° 19.783′ N, 106° 33.405′ W. Marker is in Bernalillo, New Mexico, in Sandoval County. It is on Kuaua Road half a mile east of U.S. 550. The marker is located in the Kuaua Ruins (Coronado Historic Site). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 485 Kuaua Rd, Bernalillo NM 87004, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the San Juan Basin

and in Greater Albuquerque.

It is also in the American Southwest

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also the Republic of Texas.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Was Coronado Ever at Kuaua? (here, next to this marker); Agricultura Pueblo / Pueblo Agriculture (a few steps from this marker); Cultivos y animales nativas / Native Crops and Animals

The view of the Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Marker with the Rio Grande River in the background image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

2. The view of the Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Marker with the Rio Grande River in the background

(a few steps from this marker); El Pueblo de Kuaua / Kuaua Pueblo (a few steps from this marker); The Siege of Kuaua (a few steps from this marker); Recursos del desierto / Desert Resources (a few steps from this marker); Las Montañas / The Mountains (a few steps from this marker); El Bosque / The Bosque (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bernalillo.

More about this marker. There is a small fee to visit the Kuaua Ruins (Coronado Historic Site).

Also see . . .
1. Coronado Historic Site. New Mexico Historic Sites

Coronado Historic Site and the ancient Kuaua Pueblo are located just minutes north of Albuquerque (off of I-25, Exit 242) in Bernalillo. In 1540, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado—with 500 soldiers and 2,000 Indigenous allies from New Spain—entered the Rio Grande valley somewhere near this site. Coronado was searching for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold.

(Submitted on May 25, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. Wikipedia

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510 – 22 September 1554) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who led
Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

3. The view of the marker along the walkway
a large expedition from what is now Mexico to present-day Kansas through parts of the southwestern United States between 1540 and 1542. Vázquez de Coronado had hoped to reach the Cities of Cíbola, often referred to now as the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. His expedition marked the first European sightings of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, among other landmarks. His name is often Anglicized as Vasquez de Coronado or just Coronado.

(Submitted on May 25, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 24, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 135 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 25, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.