Arizona Essay

History

Arizona has first been explored by a European in 1539. In this year, Marcos de Niza, from Spain, explored parts of the area of Arizona. The area which is now known as Arizona was then inhabited by indigenous peoples like the Hopi and the Navajo. Marcos de Niza had met another peoples of the area; the Sobaipuri. There was a legend about the wealthy seven cities of Cibola; seven cities that would be in possession of valuable treasures. Marcos de Niza was informed about Cibola by an Indian informer. When de Niza returned from his exhibition, he claimed he had seen de Seven Cities of Cibola in the distance.

Spanish explorer Coronado was the second European to explore the area. His expedition entered the area in 1540 until 1542 during its search for Cibola. However, he did not find it. He only found little Indian villages, including the settlement of the Zuni Pueblos, which probably had inspired the false legend.

The next European in the region was Father Kino, a member of the Society of Jesus. In 1690s and early 18th century he converted many of the Indians in the Pimería Alta, now southern Arizona and northern Sonora, to Christianity.

After being part of Spain for centuries, Arizona became part of Mexico in 1810. However, during the Mexican-American War in 1848, The United States occupied Mexico City and later on, it claimed much of northern Mexico, including what later became Arizona. In 1853 the United States bought the southern part as well. This event is known as the Gadsden Purchase, named after James Gadsden who was the American ambassador to Mexico at the time.

At first, Arizona was governed as part of the Territory of New Mexico until southern New Mexico separated from the Union in 1861 and became the Confederate...

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...erospace and transportation. Also important are high-technology researches and development, communications and service industries. Since the 1920s and 1930s the importance of the tourist industry began to grow and it is still one of the most important sources of income of Arizona. The mountains in the northern and central regions of the state have 1,286,900 hectares of commercial forests. These forests are owned by the U.S. government for 95% and are used for lumber and building-materials industries. The state forests and the national forests attract millions of tourists each year. Other famous tourist spots are the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, meteor craters, ancient Native American ruins, the Spanish colonial ruins and the Navajo and Hopi reservations. Golf courses and other leisure facilities attract a large amount of tourists as well.