Why did Spain fail to follow up on the De Soto, Coronado, and Cabrillo expeditions north of Mexico? Why do you believe the Spanish authorities remained uninterested in the settlement of the future United States for many years after these expeditions?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: An ideal answer will:
1. Discuss how the Spanish did not consider the lands north of Mexico as potentially as lucrative in terms of gold and silver as the lands in Central and South America. Neither were they as excited about the process of conquering.
2. Discuss the impact of effective Indian armed resistance by the Zunis to efforts by the Spanish, under the leadership of de Coronado, to have the Zunis submit to Spanish authority.
3. Discuss how the Pueblos' successful deception about the true whereabouts of sought-after gold and silver kept Spanish explorer de Coronado and his army on the move and unsettled as they continued their frustrating search for material wealth.
4. Discuss how the failure of the de Coronado expedition to return to Mexico City with any significant amounts of gold or silver caused Spanish authorities to decline to settle in Arizona or New Mexico for several decades.
5. Discuss the impact of the De Soto expedition up the Mississippi River Valley, 1539–1542, specifically his failure to find any gold or silver, his encountering hostile Indian resistance, and the fever and physical hardships that killed De Soto and almost half of his original Spanish group.
6. Discuss the effect of Cabrillo's voyage to California, 1542–1543, that failed to find either China or the gold that were the primary goals of the Spanish authorities who had commissioned the voyage.
7. Write a concise and effective conclusion.