Coronado’s Cannon: A 1539-42 Coronado Expedition Cannon Discovered in Arizona

Abstract

A bronze cannon or wall gun has been recovered from an archaeological context associated with the Vázquez de Coronado expedition. It was found on the floor of a Spanish stone-and-adobe structure that was chronometrically dated by two techniques to this era. Artifacts found at the site and in the structure are diagnostic of this expedition. This hook gun is described and placed in context. This wall gun is the first gun known to be associated with the Coronado expedition and is the oldest firearm ever found within the continental USA, and perhaps the oldest cannon currently known on the continent. We discuss how and where the gun was manufactured and its lack of use in the battle at San Geronimo III.