Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Spanish, born in Salamanca, ca. 1510, died in Mexico City, 1554. Coronado was governor of New Galicia (contemporary Sinaloa and Nayarit, Mexico). As such he had already sent out Fray Marcos de Niza on a voyage to the north, to New Mexico. When Marcos returned he told about a wealthy, golden city, called Cibola. Of course this raised Coronado's interest, and he ...