Francisco Vásquez de Coronado

Coronado was coolly received by the authorities of New Spain. An official inquiry accused him of misconduct as leader of the expedition for his alleged brutal treatment of Native Americans. He was acquitted but was eventually relieved as governor of Nueva Galicia in 1544. Coronado moved back to Mexico City, where he continued to serve as a city councilman until he died in September 1554.

The account of Coronado’s explorations, valued for the unique description of the southwestern United States before the European conquest, was published in the 14th report (1896) of the U.S. Bureau of Ethnology. In 1952 the Coronado National Memorial commemorating the expedition was established near Bisbee, Arizona.