The Coronado Expedition: From the Distance of 460 Years

Richard Flint , Editor
Shirley Cushing Flint , Editor

In 1540 Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, the governor of Nueva Galicia in western Mexico, led an expedition of reconnaissance and expansion to a place called Cíbola, far to the north in what is now New Mexico. The papers collected in this book bring multidisciplinary expertise to the study of that expedition. Although scholars have been examining the Coronado expedition for over 460 years, it left a rich documentary record that still offers myriad research opportunities from a variety of approaches.

Volume contributors are from a range of disciplines including history, archaeology, Latin American studies, anthropology, astronomy, and geology. Each addresses as aspect of the Coronado Expedition from the perspectives of his/her field, examining topics that include analyses of Spanish material culture in the New World; historical documentation of finances, provisioning, and muster rolls; Spanish exploration in the Borderlands; Native American contact with Spanish explorers; and determining the geographic routes of the Expedition.

"The Coronado Expedition contains seventeen essays. Generally they are of the highest quality making this collection a must for any scholar or library interested in Spanish explorations of the Southwestern United States in the early modern era."--The Sixteenth Century Journal

"All in all, this is a volume worth reading. It contributes substantially to the existing collection on Coronado history."--Journal of Arizona History

"Richly satisfying. . . . Casts new light on the history of the American West and the history of European relations with American Indians."--Statesman Journal

"The efforts of this team of writers have produced an insightful view of the Coronado Expedition. This book is a shining example of how scholars from different disciplines, working together, can add to the knowledge of such a studied topic."--East Texas Historical Association

"This book provides an excellent background for anyone studying or teaching the U.S. West, Native American history, or the Spanish Borderlands by weaving together archaeology, folklore, geography, and history to give an excellent picture of an often overlooked period of exploration and contact."--New Mexico Historical Review

Richard Flint is research associate in history at the Center for Desert Archaeology, Tucson, Arizona. His publications also include Documents of the Coronado Expedition, 1539-1542: "They Were Not Familiar With His Majesty, nor Did They Wish To Be His Subjects."

Shirley Cushing Flint is based at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

6 x 9 352 pages 9 halftones, 4 line drawings, 16 maps