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

Was Coronado Ever at Kuaua?

Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

1. Was Coronado Ever at Kuaua? Marker

Inscription. This question motivated the original excavations of the pueblo during the New Deal Era. Dr. Edgar Lee Hewett, the lead archaeologist was confident that Kuaua was the location where Francisco Vázquez de Coronado's entrada encamped during the winter of 1541. Ultimately, the discovery of the kiva murals shifted the excavation's focus to preserving and maintaining these invaluable paintings. The site was named Coronado State Monument (now Coronado Historic Site) and opened in 1940 for the 400th anniversary of Coronado's expedition. While no evidence of the Spanish was found during the original excavations of the 1930s, the site was named after the conquistador in order to interpret relations between Europeans and Puebloans.

Captions
(Photo #1) Workers from the Works Project Administration, a New Deal Program, excavated the ruins of Kuaua in the 1930s.
(Photo #2) Marketing for the opening of Coronado Monument in 1940 as tied into Coronado Cuarto Centennial Commission.

Erected by Friends of Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology

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• Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1541.

Location. 35° 19.785′ N, 106° 33.404′ 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: Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (here, next to this marker); The Siege of Kuaua (a few steps from this marker); El Pueblo de Kuaua / Kuaua Pueblo (a few steps from this marker); Agricultura Pueblo / Pueblo Agriculture (a few

The view of the Was Coronado Ever at Kuaua? Marker along the walkway image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

2. The view of the Was Coronado Ever at Kuaua? Marker along the walkway

steps from this marker); Cultivos y animales nativas / Native Crops and Animals (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); Kuaua Ruins (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. The Native American pueblo Coronado visited, or fought?. HiddenHispanicHeritage.com by Miguel Pérez

There is absolutely no proof that Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was ever inside this ancient Native American (Tiwa) village known as Kuaua, and yet this place is officially called the "Coronado Historic Site."

(Submitted on May 24, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. 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
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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.)

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 130 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 25, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.