Albuquerque, USA - Newly found inscriptions depicting Christian crosses and letters etched in stone have been discovered north of the Sandia Mountains — possibly the work of a Spanish expedition that visited New Mexico in the 1580s.
Albuquerque historian and author Mike Smith said he found the etchings this month while exploring a rocky, desert area east of the Rio Grande.
New Mexico's state historian, Rick Hendricks, plans to examine the inscriptions to verify their origins.
Smith said the style of the inscriptions, as well as the weathering they show, suggest the carvings were made by Spaniards who visited New Mexico four decades after Francisco Vasquez de Coronado explored the region in the 1540s.
Smith found florid lettering that appears to spell the name "Santa Maria." Smith said he believes the inscription was made by Juan de Santa Maria, who was one of three Franciscan priests who participated in a small expedition to New Mexico in 1581 and 1582.
If Smith's claim is confirmed, the find would predate New Mexico's oldest known Spanish inscriptions, which were made around 1605 during one of Juan de Onate's expeditions.