Coronado Centennial

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado y Luján was a Spanish conquistador, who visited New Mexico and other parts of what are now the southwestern United States between 1540 and 1542. He was the governor of Spanish territory located in today's Mexico. On February 23, 1540 he set out on an expedition north to find the legendary Seven Cities of Gold. His two year journey did not locate any treasure of course, but it did document the Colorado River, Grand Canyon and areas which are today's Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. This 3 cent stamp issued on September 7, 1940, commemorated the 400th anniversary of the Coronado expedition. The stamp design features a rendering of the painting ´Coronado and His Captains´ by Gerald Cassidy.