August 20th Park

Historical marker location:

Tucson, Arizona

( Marker is at the intersection of West Broadway Boulevard and North Church Avenue, on the left when traveling east on West Broadway Boulevard.)

The first documented European exploration of Arizona was in 1539: Spanish explorer Marcos de Niza became the first European to explore what is now Arizona in 1539. He claimed the area for Spain and named it "Arizona" after a Native American word meaning "silver-bearing."