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The Arizona Republic

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How the oldest gun in the US turned up in an Arizona archaeology dig

The Arizona Republic
Summary
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80% Informative

The Coronado Expedition crossed from Mexico into what is now Arizona in 1540 and traveled to what would become New Mexico , Texas , Oklahoma and Kansas .

The cannon is a wall or rampart gun, designed to rest on the parapet of an adobe house, a tripod in the field or — in a pinch — the fork of a tree.

It weighs about 40 pounds , heavy by today ’s standards, but light for the 16th century .

In 1541 , San Geronimo III was attacked by the Sobaipuri O’odham .

Half the Spaniards mutinied, leaving the settlement with a weakened population of about 100 people.

The cannon was left behind, and lay hidden for nearly 500 years .

The cannons appear to have been forged in the same foundry, Seymour says.

VR Score

87

Informative language

88

Neutral language

60

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

41

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

long-living

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