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| Landmark #568 | Imperial County | Visited: Sept. 16, 2013 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | A plaque marking the spot where Hernando Alarcón’s expedition first sighted Alta California! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: Alarcón’s mission was to provide supplies for Francisco Coronado’s expedition in search of the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. The Spaniards led by Hernando de Alarcón ascended the Colorado River by boat from the Gulf of California past this point, thereby becoming the first non-Indians to sight Alta California on September 5, 1540.
OTHER TIDBITS: Not satisfied with their conquest of the Aztecs and the Incas, the Spanish conquistadores crave more gold, so when Friar Marcos de Niza reported that he had seen Cibola in New Mexico, Francisco Coronado rounded up an expedition to go find it! Unfortunately, after marching as far north as Kansas, they discovered a tiny adobe village built by the Zuñi and returned home very disappointed and very broke! Señor de Alarcón, meanwhile, had traveled up the Colorado River with an interpreter and conversed with many different tribes, aiming to convince them to give him directions to Cibola, which they didn’t. So, instead, he made the first steps in a long process of converting the natives of California to Christianity. After building several chapels and erecting crosses, he returned back down the river without any further information about Cibola! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: On Algondes Rd, State Hwy 186 (P.M. 0.4) 0.5 mi S of I-8, 0.4 mi N of Andrade Border Andrade, CA 92283 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~264mi (425km) — 4.4hrs |
| When should I go? | Whenever the mood strikes you! |