“The Grand Canyon was discovered in 1540 by Pedro de Cardenas”…….as the National Parks pamphlet read. I smiled knowing that my people always knew it was there and didn’t need to be discovered.
Micheal Kabotie (Lomawyesa) Hopi Artist and poet / poem entitled “Grand Canyon National Park”
The first non-native peoples to observe the Grand Canyon were Spanish soldiers led by Captain Garcia de Lopez Cardenas who arrived at the South Rim with Hopi guides in 1540. This was part of a exploratory search for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold under the direction of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado.