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

The Siege of Kuaua

Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

1. The Siege of Kuaua Marker

Inscription. In 2017, Dr. Clay Mathers of the Coronado Institute conducted a metal detecting survey at Coronado Historic Site and discovered dozens of Spanish military artifacts. The layout and nature of these objects indicate that the Spanish briefly besieged Kuaua Pueblo during the Tiguex War of 1541. Primarily concentrated along the exterior walls of the pueblo, the Spanish materials include lead shot, caret-headed nails, and fragments of mail and plate armor. Native weapons consisting of sling stones, projectile points, stone axes, and mauls also filtered the historic battlefield. Though research is ongoing into this conflict, it is now clear that Coronado's entrada did have contact with Kuaua Pueblo.

Erected by Friends of Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Exploration • Hispanic Americans • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 2017.

Location. 35° 19.79′ N, 106° 33.402′ 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.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Was Coronado Ever at Kuaua? (a few steps from this marker); El Pueblo de Kuaua / Kuaua Pueblo (a few steps from this marker); Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (a few steps from this marker); Kuaua Ruins (a few steps from this marker); Agricultura Pueblo / Pueblo Agriculture (a few steps from this marker); Cultivos y animales nativas / Native Crops and Animals (a few steps from this marker); Recursos del desierto / Desert Resources (within shouting distance of this marker); Archaeological excavations / Excavaciones arqueológicas (within shouting distance of 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. Tiguex War

The view of the Siege of Kuaua Marker on the front left image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, April 9, 2025

2. The view of the Siege of Kuaua Marker on the front left

. Wikipedia

The Tiguex War (Tee-wesh) was the first named war between Europeans and Native Americans in what is now part of the United States. The war took place in New Spain, during the colonization of Nuevo México. It was fought in the winter of 1540–41 by the expedition of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado against the twelve or thirteen Pueblos or settlements of what would become the Tiguex Province of Nuevo México. These villages were along both sides of the Rio Grande, north and south of present-day Bernalillo, New Mexico. The Tiguex War led to significant casualties on both sides and damage to all Pueblos, and increased tensions within Spanish-Native relations.

(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 25, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 137 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 25, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.