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In 1529, the Zuni pueblo had a visitor. He was a Spanish friar, or member of a religious brotherhood. He was probably the first European to meet the Southwest peoples.
More Spanish people came to the Southwest a year later. They were led by explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. They met the Hopi, Zuni, and Rio Grande people. Coronado was looking for the legendary Seven Cities of Cíbola. It was said to be full of gold and treasure. He did not find any, so he went back to Mexico. Soon, Spanish settlers and soldiers arrived. They enslaved some Pueblo people. They made others give them crops and other goods. They also made the Pueblo people convert to Christianity. It was truly a clash of cultures. It was the beginning of almost 500 years of mistreatment by Europeans and their descendants.
