Francisco Vásquez de Coronado: The Search for Cities of Gold Book

Traces the life and accomplishments of Spanish explorer and conquistador, Francisco Vâasquez de Coronado, who led a major expedition from Mexico through what is now the ...

Patricia Dole - Children's Literature

Coronado and his men were the first Europeans to see the bison herds of the Central American plains, the Grand Canyon and Painted Desert, and the coastal area called California, but they failed in their quest to find riches in the cities of the Native American inhabitants. Born into a wealthy Spanish family, Coronado chose to leave his homeland and join a family friend, Antonio de Mendoza, who was appointed viceroy of New Spain (Mexico), and embark on a search for the gold-filled Seven Cities of Cibola. They invested a large amount of money to finance their expedition, but the cities turned out to be dingy Zuni pueblos. Nevertheless, Coronado claimed all the territory for the king of Spain. A battle ensued and was won by the conquistadors. During his explorations Coronado often treated the Native Americans cruelly. Eventually he lost all his investment money, was prosecuted for his mistreatment of the Indians, and suffered a decline in health, dying at age 44. The text is interesting and easy to read. Illustrated with old prints, maps, photographs, and paintings in color and black and white, the book includes a timeline, index, glossary, Web site, and bibliography. The book is part of the "A Proud Heritage/The Hispanic Library" series. 2003, Child's World,