Oldest firearms ever found in US were abandoned by Spanish in 16th-century battle against Native Americans

A bronze cannon against a black background.

Two 16th-century cannons unearthed in Arizona may be the oldest firearms ever found in the United States, new research finds.

Archaeologists found the cannons while excavating a site called San Geronimo III (also known as Suya), a small town established by the Spanish more than 480 years ago. Both firearms, or weapons that use gunpowder to discharge a shot, arrived at the site during a Spanish expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado.