Governor of Nueva Galicia at the age of 30, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was told of the Seven Cities of Cibola by Franciscan missionary Marcos Niza (who heard it from Zuni natives). Coronado set off in 1540 to find the Cities' riches. With de Niza as his guide, Captain-General Coronado and several units under his command spent nearly three years exploring nearly 2,000 miles of native trails between Mexico and what now is Kansas. Nothing was found, and Coronado sent de Niza home in disgrace. One of Coronado's detachments, under Garcia Lopez de Cardenas discovered the Grand Canyon.