Which European nation is credited with earliest colonization of the southwestern United States?

• A. Spain
• B. Portugal
• C. England
• D. Netherlands

Answer: (A)

Spain. Exploration and sustained settlement in the southwestern United States began with Spanish expeditions in the 16th century, such as Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s crossing of the region in the 1540s. The first enduring presence followed with the mission and pueblo system, starting in the late 1500s and early 1600s—Santa Fe in present-day New Mexico around 1610 and later the California missions beginning in 1769. This early, continuous colonization establishes Spain as the nation that first established permanent European footholds in the Southwest. By contrast, Portugal focused on Brazil and other regions, while England and the Netherlands established earlier colonies along the East Coast and in other areas, not the Southwest.