Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with the PBS app
Thanks to the intrepid and tireless work of Arizona-based archaeologist Dr. Deni Seymour, we now know where Francisco Vázquez de Coronado's expedition first crossed into what would later become the continental United States. "Coronado: The New Evidence" follows Seymour’s work over the course of three years as she and her team unearthed hundreds of Coronado artifacts.
This discovery has dire, catastrophic and far-reaching implications—not only for U.S. and world history, but also for the Indigenous people, the Sobaipuri, and their descendants, the Wa:k O'odham, who first encountered Coronado. The Wa:k O'odham soberly and thoughtfully share their reaction and the meaning of this breakthrough discovery by Seymour.
Seymour also discovered evidence of a Sobaipuri revolt that predates the New Mexico Pueblo Revolt of1680. The 1541 Sobaipuri rebellion is therefore the first successful Native American revolt in what is now the U.S. This single battle kept white explorers out of Arizona for an additional 150+ years.
Perhaps the most astonishing discovery by Seymour is that this Coronado site is the first established Spanish colony in the American Southwest and the third ever established in what is now the United States.
This villa/town predates San Agustín, Roanoke and Jamestown.“It’s been nothing short of fascinating to see how archaeologist Dr. Deni Seymour is connecting the dots of Coronado’s expedition,” said Coronado director Frances Causey. “Very little about the famed explorer had been found until her discovery, and it’s easy to see why. It really is like finding a ‘needle in a haystack.'”
Watch On Your Schedule: "Coronado: The New Evidence" is available to stream with the PBS app. Watch the best of PBS anytime, anywhere on the free PBS app. Stream your favorite PBS shows on-demand and livestream shows from your local station, all from your favorite device.
Producer: Coronado Films. Frances Causey Films, 2023
