Historical Marker
Vásquez de Coronado’s Route (3)
In 1540 Francisco Vásquez de Coronado and a small army set out from Mexico to search for the fabled Quivira and its cities of gold. In the spring if 1541, the expedition halted near here for four days while they built a log bridge across the Pecos River. From there they continued their exploration deep into present-day Kansas.
New Mexico was one of the last territories to become a state, gaining statehood in 1912. Before that, it had been part of the Spanish Empire, Mexico, and the United States Territory of New Mexico.