In February 1540, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado left west-central Mexico with 336 soldiers and four priests to find and conquer the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola, their "streets lined with goldsmith shops... and doorways studded with emeralds and turquoise." Coronado's party found only desert, grassland and rock pueblos inhabited by Native Americans. Spain regarded the two-year expedition as a failure, but it opened the way for missionizing and colonizing the Southwest. This 4,750-acre reserve offers a scenic drive to the top of 6,575ft Montezuma Pass just north of the Mexican border, as well as hiking trails and a 600ft cave. Coronado and his men never set foot here, however; they viewed the Huachuca Mountains from the San Pedro River valley 10mi to the east.