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Extraordinary Claims, Extraordinary Evidence: The Coronado Expedition’s 1541 Suya Settlement
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 September 2025
Abstract
The first Coronado expedition site discovered south of Zuni, in Arizona, represents the first European settlement in the American Southwest—a place called Suya (San Geronimo III). Investigations have revealed an impressive assortment of early sixteenth-century artifacts and features. The structured layout is reflected in concentrations of both household- and battle-related artifacts. Artifacts and substantial adobe-and-stone structures indicate a diversity of residential activities and the presence of a sizable and varied group of people who expected to stay. They brought a range of household goods that are not appropriate for a traveling expedition but that are of the type expected in a settled context where social maneuvering and status display characterized daily life. Suya’s occupants had access to a range of European household goods and weaponry, including the most expensive guns (matchlocks, wheel locks, crossbows, bronze cannon). Weapons and ammunition provide evidence of a battle, as do their fragmentary nature and clustered distribution. Documents convey that this was the first successful Native American uprising in the continental United States. This site exhibited attributes characteristic of a Coronado expedition settlement, so viable alternative explanations were sought, including other entradas. Work has proceeded for five years, revealing the richness, extent, and complexity of the site.
Resumen
El primer sitio de la expedición de Coronado descubierto al sur de Zuni, en Arizona, representa el primer asentamiento europeo en el suroeste americano, un lugar llamado Suya o San Gerónimo III. Las investigaciones han revelado una impresionante variedad de artefactos y elementos de principios del siglo XVI. El diseño estructurado se refleja en concentraciones de artefactos tanto domésticos como relacionados con la batalla. Los artefactos y las substanciales estructuras de adobe y piedra indican una diversidad de actividades residenciales y la presencia de un grupo considerable y variado de personas que tenían la expectativa de quedarse. Trajeron consigo una variedad de artículos para el hogar que no eran apropiados para una expedición de viaje, pero que son del tipo esperado en un contexto asentado donde las maniobras sociales y la exhibición de estatus probablemente caracterizaban la vida diaria. Los ocupantes de Suya tenían acceso a toda la gama de enseres domésticos y armamento europeos, incluidas algunas de las armas más caras de la época (mechas, cerraduras de ruedas y cañones de bronce, así como ballestas). Una amplia gama de armas y municiones proporcionan evidencia de una batalla, como también lo hacen su naturaleza fragmentaria y su distribución agrupada. Fuentes documentales transmiten que este fue el primer levantamiento exitoso de nativos americanos en los Estados Unidos continentales. A medida que surgió la inferencia de que este sitio exhibía atributos característicos de un asentamiento sustancial de la expedición de Coronado, se buscaron explicaciones alternativas viables, incluidas otras entradas, como se describe en este artículo. Los trabajos se han prolongado durante cinco años revelando la riqueza, extensión, y complejidad del sitio.
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- © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for American Archaeology.
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