Researchers Find America’s Oldest Firearm: A Conquistador’s Cannon
You never know what you’ll find when you start digging. Myself, I’ve only ever uncovered some old toy cars and Star Wars action figures, but down in Arizona, researchers have uncovered what they believe is the oldest firearm in the U.S.—an ancient conquistador’s cannon.
Cannon time @ TFB:
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Hundreds of Years Of History
Researchers found this ancient cannon in Arizona’s Santa Cruz Valley and detailed their findings in a research paper. You can find the paper here, in the International Journal of Historical Archaeology; you may be able to email the researchers and ask for them to send it to you at no charge if you don’t want to pay $39.95. The basic details are these:
“A bronze cannon or wall gun has been recovered from an archaeological context associated with the Vázquez de Coronado expedition. It was found on the floor of a Spanish stone-and-adobe structure that was chronometrically dated by two techniques to this era. Artifacts found at the site and in the structure are diagnostic of this expedition. This hook gun is described and placed in context. This wall gun is the first gun known to be associated with the Coronado expedition and is the oldest firearm ever found within the continental USA, and perhaps the oldest cannon currently known on the continent.”
Below, see photos of the cannon, and where it was found, as originally published in the International Journal of Historical Archaeology.
This style of cannon is also known as a hackbut. This example is thought to have been used through conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s 1539-1542 invasion into the southern U.S., looking for treasure cities. On that expedition, it would have been used both to defend the Spanish soldiers’ fortifications and also to attack their opponents’ structures. It could be loaded with large cannon balls or grapeshot, buckshot or similar spray-and-pray projectiles.
The researchers found the cannon unloaded, with no exact indication as to why it was left behind. However, it is thought the abandoned building where it was discovered was destroyed in a battle between the Spaniards and the natives.
See researcher Deni Seymour’s photo of herself with the discovered cannon above. Seymour has been excavating and researching the area where this cannon was found for years, believing this to be Coronado’s real route, as opposed to other trails that were once thought to be the conquistadors’ route north.