Juan Ponce de Leon, early 1500s legendary explorer, searched for the fountain of youth on America's eastern shore. In the western states, Captain Garcia Lopez de Cardenas searched for Cabeza de Vaca's illusion of the seven cities of gold.
What Cardenas and his troops found was a gapping chasm in the earth's crust. In the year of 1540, Cardenas discovered one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon. He and his party attempted to descend into the canyon for water and food. Their attempts failed and the discouraged group surrendered to the canyon and the elusive Colorado River below. It would take another 330 years for a non-native to explore the canyon area. Major John Wesley Powell receives the distinction of leading the first team of explorers through the length of the Grand Canyon, along the turbulent Colorado River.
Within this enchanting Grand Canyon frame is the Cardenas Butte, a tribute to the area's first European explorer.