Final answer:
The claim that no Spanish explorers went into New Mexico for over a hundred years after Coronado's expedition in 1542 is false. Spanish exploration and colonization continued with expeditions such as Juan de Oñate's in the late 1590s, leading to the founding of Santa Fe in 1610.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that no further Spanish explorers came north into New Mexico for over a hundred years after the Coronado expedition returned to Mexico City in 1542 is false. In reality, Spanish exploration and colonization continued in the years following Coronado's expedition, with significant ventures such as those led by Juan de Oñate in the late 1590s.
Oñate explored the American southwest, including what we now know as New Mexico, under orders from King Philip II. Although seeking gold and silver, the Spanish mainly found small value in material wealth but still established settlements, such as Santa Fe in 1610, which became the capital of the Kingdom of New Mexico, and was an important outpost of the larger Spanish empire. The continuous Spanish presence in the region, despite major setbacks like the Pueblo Revolt, contradicts the notion that the region was left unexplored by the Spanish for over a century after Coronado.