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by James J. Drexler (Author)
The story of Coronado's 16th century expedition contains all the hardship, excitement, danger, intrigue, cruelty and romance that one may wish for? but no wealth and glory. Very little has captured the imagination of both professional and amateur historians as much as Coronado's Expedition of discovery from the interior of Mexico to the far reaches of the previously unknown lands to the north. The route taken by thousands of Spanish conquistadors and their Indian allies, who likely left many tools, household items and other artifacts along the way, is still largely unknown. To discover the path taken by the Expedition, Drexler uses the descriptions in eyewitness accounts and testimony recorded later during Spanish court proceedings following the Expedition. Although there is very little detail in existing resources to directly identify geographical features or the locations of the sites visited by the Expedition, Drexler uses what does exist and combines this with his extensive knowledge of the southwest. He does some intricate sleuthing to uncover the most probable routing of the Expedition and delivers some surprising conclusions. Drexler brings this journey to life, describing several of the thousands of participants in that journey while telling of some of their complex reasons for making the trip. Dozens of maps and tables are used to illustrate this historical exposition of the first European intrusion into northern Mexico and the southwestern regions of the United States.
