TRAVEL WITH THE GREAT EXPLORERS Explore with Teamaisao Taaaaaa de Coronado Tim Cooke Crabtree Publishing Company www crabtreebooks com
Did you know In New Spain Coronado heard stories about gold Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca had led an unsuccessful expedition to find Cibola a region said to contain the Seven Cities of Gold Meet the Boss Francisco Vázquez de Coronado left Spain as a young man to seek his fortune in the Americas He would lead an important expedition into what is now the Southwestern United States LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES Younger sons inherit nothing Francisco Vázquez de Coronado also Vásquez was born in 1510 the second son of a wealthy family in Salamanca Spain His older brother inherited the family’s wealth so Coronado had to make his own fortune Like many young Spaniards of the time Coronado decided to seek his fortune in the empire Spain was creating in the New World meaning the Americas In 1535 he traveled to New Spain present-day Mexico with his friend Antonio de Mendoza Mendoza was the first viceroy of New Spain A HELPFUL MARRIAGE Happy and profitable union In Mexico City Coronado worked for Mendoza in the Spanish government He also married Beatriz de Estrada the daughter of a senior Spanish official Beatriz was only 12 while Coronado was about 27 Such marriages would not be allowed today but were sometimes made at that time for social or political reasons Through Beatriz Coronado acquired one of the largest estates in New Spain The couple later had eight children 4 TRAVEL WITH THE GREAT EXPLORERS
Enslaved been enslaved The Spaniards had conquered Mexico in 1521 Many of the Native peoples living there such as the Aztec had died from diseases brought by the Spaniards The rest had My Explorer Journal Imagine that you are just like Coronado and your chances of earning a decent living at home are limited Write a letter to your parents explaining your reasons for wanting to sail to New Spain GAINING PROMOTION Shows loyalty to the Spanish crown Coronado worked hard for Viceroy Mendoza The Spaniards forced Native slaves to work in gold and silver mines The slaves rebelled to try to gain their freedom Coronado helped end the rebellions by force Mendoza rewarded Coronado by making him governor of the frontier province of New Galicia shown on this old map above left EXPLORE WITH FRANCISCO VÁZQUEZ DE CORONADO 5 RUMORS FROM THE NORTH Hears of treasure Puts faith in a monk Coronado wanted to discover new lands and gold for Spain In 1539 he heard of a monk named Fray Marcos de Niza The monk had traveled north of New Spain with a Moroccan slave named Estevan Estevan had stayed with the Zuni people in Cibola Fray Marcos returned to Mexico with stories of the wealthy city of Cibola He claimed it was as large and rich as Mexico City itself Coronado believed it must be one of the Seven Cities of Gold he had heard stories about
