A Bronze Cannon Linked To A Famous Expedition From The Colonial Era Was Found In Arizona, Making It The Oldest Firearm In America
In Arizona, researchers have unearthed a bronze cannon, or “wall gun,” linked to a famous expedition from the colonial era, making it the oldest firearm ever found within the continental United States. The discovery sheds new light on the kind of artillery that was used during the expedition.
The expedition took place between 1540 and 1542. It was led by Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado.
It was one of the first major European ventures into the American Southwest, which included areas of modern-day Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
The purpose of the expedition was to search for the mythical Seven Cities of Cíbola. It was inspired by tales of past conquistador raids and reports of wealthy cities north of Mexico during the early 16th century.
The expedition was organized in 1539 by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza. It involved a total of around 2,800 people, including Spanish soldiers, indigenous allies, servants, enslaved individuals, and many others. The exact number is up for debate because of varying historical records.
Coronado mortgaged his wife’s possessions and borrowed a lot of money for the excursion. He hoped to find gold, precious jewels, land, and take large populations to use for forced labor.
Ultimately, the expedition faced disappointment when they failed to find riches and large populations of people.
The armed forces engaged in violent conflicts with Indigenous groups and looted pottery and blankets from small Pueblo communities. They turned back in 1542 once they reached the Great Plains of Kansas.
The cannon was found at an archaeological site in Arizona called Suya or San Geronimo III. It was on the floor of a worn Spanish structure with adobe and rock walls.
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Radiocarbon dating showed that the structure was used since 1541 but was possibly built earlier. Other artifacts uncovered at the site, such as glass shards, weapon parts, and fragments of pottery and olive jars, also align with the expedition.
“It is a design consistent with the mid-to-late 1400s and was practically obsolete by the time of the expedition. This cast bronze cannon is a pristine historical specimen and was found in situ, resting on the floor of a Coronado expedition Spanish structure,” wrote the authors of the study.
The cannon was sometimes referred to as a wall gun, which is an early type of firearm that required two people to operate.
It was small enough to have been transported with ease, weighing about 40 pounds and measuring roughly 42 inches long.
It was primarily used along fortification walls as an offensive weapon to break through the walls of domestic dwellings in the cities they came across.
The gun could handle round lead balls or heavy charges of buckshot. Several of the gun’s features suggest that it may have been made in Mexico or the Caribbean rather than Spain.
Overall, the weapon is in remarkable shape with minimal corrosion due to the unique conditions at the site that allowed it to be preserved.
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