Archaeologists working in Arizona have discovered what appear to be the oldest firearms ever found in the continental United States: two cannons abandoned by a Spanish expeditionary force that was attacked by Native Americans.
The 42-inch-long (107-centimeter) bronze cannons, also known as wall guns, were found by independent researcher Deni Seymour. They are the first firearms recovered from an expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, which traveled north from what is now Mexico to the American Southwest between 1539 and 1542.
In a paper published in the International Journal of Historical Archaeology last month, Seymour detailed how the first cannon, which was found in 2020, was discovered on the floor of a stone and adobe structure that was part of a small town built by the Spanish and abandoned following the battle in 1541.
Previous discoveries of associated artifacts, as well as analysis of charcoal and a piece of pottery found on the floor of the structure, had established a link between the site, known to archaeologists as San Geronimo III, and the Coronado expedition.
“This cannon and the battle that occurred around it are significant in that they represent the earliest successful Native American uprising in the Continental US, since the Spaniards did not come back for 150 years,” instead retreating to what is now Mexico, Seymour told CNN on Tuesday.
Although these cannons would have been deadly, they were slow to load and reload, Seymour told CNN.
Investigations revealed that the first cannon had not been fired, which suggests the occupants of the structure were surprised by the attackers and didn’t have time to load it, Seymour said.
“They were probably overwhelmed by the attacking force and likely were engaged in hand-to-hand combat from their bedsides,” she said. “It took some time to load and fire the cannon, as it would have for matchlock guns so they would have been of no use in a surprise attack.”
The second cannon was found on the battlefield itself and had been fired by the Spanish defenders.
“I suspect that the area of the site where that cannon was stored was not overwhelmed by the attackers as fully,” said Seymour.
“It appears that the defenders had time to mount a defense, which would have involved reigniting the fire or at least exposing coals so the match for the gun could be lit, loading the gun, and hauling it downslope, positioning it, and then firing.”
The discoveries shed new light on the O’odham Native Americans, who lived in what is now Arizona and the northern Mexican state of Sonora, she added.
“This means that rather than being docile and peaceful as their later colonial period reputation has indicated, they were exceptional warriors and stood up for their own and their land at a critical time, much earlier than even other native groups in the area,” Seymour said.
Next, Seymour hopes to find the rest of the trail traveled by Coronado’s expedition, and to document 12 known sites along the Arizona portion of the trail.
