The Coronado Trail Exploration Program began in September 2004 when anthropologist Dr. Carroll L. Riley introduced historians Dr. Richard Flint and Shirley Flint to exploration geologist Nugent Brasher in Glenwood, New Mexico. This introduction sparked an interest by Nugent in exploring for the Trail in general and for Chichilticale in specific. Nugent organized an exploration team devoted to such a quest.

Exploration has continued unabated since the fall of 2004. Dr. Durwood Ball, editor of the New Mexico Historical Review, ( http://www.unm.edu/~nmhr/ ) very kindly agreed to publish the findings of the exploration program through April 2006, and this information was provided to interested readers in the Fall 2007 issue of the Review.

Chichilticale.com was created in the summer of 2007. The purpose of this website is to provide information about the Coronado Trail Exploration Program. Such information will be furnished in concert with the New Mexico Historical Review. No new information will be disclosed until the Review has published the piece related to the new data.

This website currently provides information through April 2006, the date corresponding to the close of the inaugural December 2005 – April 2006 field season at Kuykendall Ruins. Results of the inaugural season caused the team to announce that it had possibly discovered Chichilticale. The second field season occurred at the Ruins from November 2006 through April 2007. A summer 2007 field season was conducted at the proposed 2 July 1540 Advance Party camp, which was also the 4 October 1540 camp of the Following Army and the 8 April 1542 campsite of the Retreating Army. The third field season at Kuykendall Ruins began in November 2007.

Publication of the findings of the second and third seasons at Kuykendall, as well as those of the summer 2007 season, is planned by the New Mexico Historical Review for the Fall 2008 or Winter 2009 issue.

Many additional artifacts diagnostic of the Coronado Expedition were detected and recovered during our highly successful second field season at Kuykendall Ruins. Moreover, archaeological features believed to be associated with the Expedition were discovered there, as well as physical material described in records of the Expedition. Information about these new findings will be provided on this website at the time that the Review publishes our next piece in 2008 or 2009.

We consider that our apparent Chichilticale discovery announced in fall 2007 is now confirmed.

The Kuykendall site is on private land and is without exception closed to all parties; there is no need to seek permission to enter. The gates are locked, a site steward occupies the property, an armed security guard patrols the site, and there are 24-hour surveillance cameras. Meddlers will be observed, law enforcement will be notified, and all intruders will be arrested.