Map of Coronado Expedition (CEC)

The Coronado Expedition explored much of the present-day American Southwest, including stretches of West Texas and the Panhandle.  Interpretations of his exact route vary, including one variation that places one of his winter encampments in the valley of Elm Creek, southwest of present-day Abilene.  The Spanish found little to love about the region, and his oppression of the Pueblo peoples earned him no allies that might provide future bases for additional exploration.  In the end–sick, tired, and injured–he returned to Mexico decidedly pessimistic about what he had accomplished.