Arizona archaeologist says she's found artifacts linked to famed 1540 expedition

A Tucson archaeologist has unveiled a discovery in Santa Cruz County that she thinks could rewrite the history of the Coronado Expedition. Deni Seymour said she has unearthed hundreds of artifacts linked to the 16th century Spanish expedition, including pieces of iron and copper crossbow bolts, distinctive caret-headed nails, a medieval horseshoe and spur, a sword point and bits of chain mail armor.

The "trophy artifact" is a bronze wall gun — more than 3 feet long and weighing roughly 40 pounds — found sitting on the floor of a structure that she said could be proof of the oldest European settlement in the continental United States.

In 1540, Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led an armed expedition of more than 2,500 Europeans and Mexican-Indian allies through what is now Mexico and the American Southwest in search of riches. The two-year journey took them as far north and east as present-day Kansas and brought them into contact — and often conflict — with centuries-old Indigenous cultures along the way.

Along with the central structure where the wall gun was found, she said she has identified what appear to be six surrounding lookout stations, three of which show "clear evidence of being attacked." The Spanish "had a major presence here, and they had major conflicts with the natives here," Seymour said. " Clusters of lead shot and distinctive Sobaipuri arrowheads tell the story of their final confrontation, which sent the Spaniards retreating back to the south.

"We have clear evidence of battle," said Seymour. "There's no question." Based on the site's location and the items she has found, she is convinced the outpost was routed not by the Opata people who once dominated what is now Sonora but by the Sobaipuri, whose direct descendants include the Tohono Oʼodham at San Xavier.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronado-expedition-1540-artifatcs-found-arizona-archaeologist/