by Robert Torrez Less than two generations after Christopher Columbus set foot on the shores of an obscure Caribbean island and claimed this New World for the Spanish kingdoms of Leon and Castille, Spanish conquistadores such as Hernando Cortes and Francisco Pizarro had conquered Mexico, Peru, and much of Central America. These adventurers also were on the alert for signs of any new lands which might prove as wealthy as ones recently conquered. It was this search for a "new" Mexico which ultimately led to the expedition of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado to New Mexico in 1540. In 1527, Panfilo … Continue reading Early Spanish Explorers of the Southwest