Arizona Holds The Record For The Oldest Gun Ever Found In The United States

Along with remains and artifacts such as jewelry and pottery, the discovery of tools and weapons builds on the knowledge that historians have about ancient civilizations and how human culture has changed over millennia. The ancient weapons discovered in an unassuming desert lake bed in Iraq's western desert, for instance, were made of stone and give scientists a better understanding of human behavior and evolution in the Arabian Peninsula. One of the newest and most intriguing finds in southern Arizona is a cast bronze cannon from the Coronado expedition led by Spanish conquistador Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, making it the oldest gun ever unearthed in the United States.

In the International Journal of Historical Archaeology, archeologist Deni Seymour and historical weapons expert William P. Mapoles detailed the discovery, which occurred back in September 2020. Seymour found it interred on the adobe and stone floor of a structure that was once part of settlement — known as San Geronimo III — built by a group of Spaniards led by Captain Diego de Alcaraz, who was widely regarded as sadistic and cruel to the local Sobaipuri O'odham (natives to the area). The site was abandoned after a battle with the Native Americans in 1541, which is believed to have been a surprise attack.

The authors explain that the 42-inch (3.5-foot), 40-pound cannon, also called a rampart or wall gun, wasn't fired likely because of how a cannon works. These firearms took time to load and reload, so the Spaniards probably didn't have enough time to use them. Seymour said in a statement to CNN, "This cannon and the battle that occurred around it are significant in that they represent the earliest successful Native American uprising in the Continental US, since the Spaniards did not come back for 150 years."

Four years after finding the unfired cast bronze cannon, Deni Seymour continued searching the area for more artifacts and found another gun that had been fired in the attack. It was laying in an area where most of the battle seems to have taken place because a lot of other artifacts and projectiles were around it. However, the side of this second firearm was blown out.

Talking to CNN, Seymour said, "I suspect that the area of the site where that cannon was stored was not overwhelmed by the attackers as fully. It appears that the defenders had time to mount a defense, which would have involved reigniting the fire or at least exposing coals so the match for the gun could be lit, loading the gun, and hauling it downslope, positioning it, and then firing." In an interview with The Arizona Republic, she added, "What we're thinking is that they possibly did kind of a 'Hail Mary' type situation, overloaded it with powder and shot to try to keep from being overrun."

That the first gun is still intact is likely because of its cast bronze construction. Tools made by people in ancient Mesopotamia were some of the first to feature bronze materials, and because of the characteristics of bronze metals, weapons made from them are stronger, more resistant to corrosion and rust, and less brittle than iron. However, Seymour noted that the lack of a maker's mark and poor quality suggest that both cannons were made in the same foundry in nearby Mexico or the Caribbean. An analysis could confirm this origin, which would make the guns the oldest ever constructed in the Americas, but she's weary of cutting into the firearms to find out.