A firearm discovered in Arizona is what researchers believe to be the “oldest” ever found in the continental United States.

Excavations along the Santa Cruz River in Southern Arizona brought to light a bronze cannon, or a wall gun, used during the 1539-1542 expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado to the modern-day American Southwest.

The wall gun is the first ever to be found connected to the expedition, according to research published in the International Journal of Historical Archaeology on Nov. 21, 2024.

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“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,” Dr. Deni J. Seymour and her colleagues wrote in the study. 

The expedition was aimed at finding the riches of the rumored “Seven Cities of Cíbola,” according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. 

Though Coronado did find landmarks like the Grand Canyon, he did not find the cities of treasure, according to Britannica, and was instead met with Indian settlements. 

The firearm in Arizona was first found in the fall of 2020, at the settlement of San Geronimo III. It was found on the “floor of a Spanish stone-and-adobe structure,” according to the research. 

A combination of radiocarbon dating and optically stimulated luminescence techniques were used as methods of dating the firearm back to the era of the Coronado expedition.

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The firearm measures about 42 inches long and weighs 40 pounds.

It was likely cast in Mexico or the Caribbean, indicated by the simplicity in its design, the research said.

It was designed to be mounted on a wooden tripod, used to protect fortifications, according to the research. 

A firearm like the one discovered could send lead balls flying over 700 yards. 

This particular example was found unloaded, with no evidence found to show that it was ever fired. 

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It was seemingly abandoned at the settlement and left for hundreds of years. A probable reason why the gun was left behind is that the “town was attacked and rapidly abandoned,” the research suggests. 

“This final blow seems to be the precipitating event that led to the abandonment of the wall gun, where it remained snugly encased in an eroded Spanish adobe-and-rock-walled structure [ruin] for 480 years,” researchers wrote.  

Several other artifacts were discovered at the site, including pieces of broken swords and daggers, plus household items like fishhooks, clothing fasteners, pieces of copper vessels and more, per the research. 

Further analysis is being arranged to learn more about the history behind the gun, as well as to study the other artifacts found at the site for future publications.