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Silvestre VĂ©lez de Escalante
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Exploration and Discovery
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Flourished:
1768–79
Flourished:
1768 - 1779
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Silvestre VĂ©lez de Escalante

Spanish explorer
Also known as: Francisco Silvestre VĂ©lez de Escalante
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History

Silvestre VĂ©lez de Escalante (flourished 1768–79) was a Spanish Franciscan missionary-explorer, who in 1776–77 with his superior Francisco DomĂ­nguez, while seeking a route to Monterey in California from Santa Fe (now in New Mexico), rediscovered the Grand Canyon (Arizona). He explored what is now western Colorado and made the first Spanish penetration of what is now Utah (in which he recommended colonization), before returning, unsuccessful in his route search, to Santa Fe.

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