Francisco Vasquez de Coronado led an expedition from 1540-1542 in search of the fabled seven cities of Cibola in the New World. As one of the early Spanish governors in Mexico in 1535, he explored areas of what is now Texas and Kansas, becoming the first European to travel up the Rio Grande River. Despite discovering geographic areas like the Grand Canyon, Coronado's expeditions found no gold or silver and he failed to establish any Spanish settlements during his travels.