What was the route for Francisco Vasquez de Coronado?

Answer 1

Setting out on February 23rd, 1540 from Compostela with an estimated complement of 1,700 to 2,400 people, he headed north, keeping to the east of the Sea of Cortez. They reached San Miguel de Culiacan around March 28th and headed inland on April 22nd. The northward trail comes into dispute regarding whether the party was east or west of the Arizona-New Mexico line. Finding the headwaters of the Little Colorado River, his group found the Zuni River, and follwed that until they came across the Zuni People, who were conquered in a skirmish for Cibola. A scouting party moved northwest, finding the Hopi People and their village of Tusayan. From them, he learned that the Colorado river lay to the west, so another scouting party was sent west. That group found the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Foraying eastward, the Rio Grande and the area around present-day Albuquerque was discovered, and word of a wealthy civilzation farther east, Quivira, came out. Spring of 1541 brought an expedition to find it. Crossing the Texas Panhandle, immense herds of American bison were encountered. This is the area where he met the Querechos and the Teyas People. Moving northward again for more than thirty days, he came across the Arkansas River, near present-day Dodge City, Kansas. Following the river to the northeast for three days led him to the Quivira People. Finding much disappointment in their standard of living rather than wealth, he had his Indian guide, "the Turk" garroted, and left Quivira for New Mexico.