Coronado National Memorial is located in the southest-most part of
Arizona. It was named after Spanish conquistador Francisco Vásquez
de Coronado y Luján (1510 – 1554). In early sixteenth century some
sailors and a Catholic priest reported that they saw a cluster of
cities made of Gold in today's North America. In 1539 Coronado led
a large expedition, starting from Mexico City and passing through
today's Coronado National Memorial, to search for the mythical
Seven Cities of Gold. It was a failed expedition, of course, and
Coronado died an unhappy man. The so-called Seven Cities of Gold
never existed in the first place.
One of the most well-known points in Coronado National Memorial is
Coronado Cave, which is also known as Geronimo’s Cave. According
to legends, the cave was used by the Apache Chief Geronimo as a
hide-out when being chased by the U.S. Army. The evidence is that
during the late 1800’s many arrowheads were found in the cave. The
limestone in the cave, as shown in the above photos, was formed
many years ago and today it is no longer an active carven cave.
