Spain in the Southwest

the long version

"John L. Kessell's Spain in the Southwest is an illustrated history of the Spanish colonies that became the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and California. With an eye for human interest, Kessell tells the story of New Spain's vast frontier - today's American Southwest and Mexican North - which for two centuries served as a dynamic yet disconnected periphery of the Spanish empire.". "Chronicling the period of Hispanic activity from the time of Columbus to Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821, Kessell traces the three great swells of Hispanic exploration, encounter, and influence that rolled north from Mexico across the coasts and high deserts of the western borderlands."--BOOK JACKET.