To the Inland Empire: Coronado and Our Spanish Legacy

Though Spaniards explored much of the southwestern United States, their accomplishments are often overlooked. Udall, conservationist, former Interior Secretary, and native of Arizona, here seeks to remedy this situation. He describes the expedition of Francisco Vazquez de Coronado from 1540 to 1542 from Mexico through various parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Even today, 80 percent of this area is unmarked by civilization, and the stunning photographs capture the feel of the country as it must have been then.