For the revolutionary see Juan Lopez de Padilla.

Juan de Padilla (1500?–1544?), born in Andalusia, was a Spanish Roman Catholic missionary who spent much of his life exploring North America alongside Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. Over three hundred Spaniards, including Padilla and three other Franciscans, accompanied Coronado on his quest for the Seven Cities of Gold, a mythical land of great wealth. When Coronado abandoned his search, Padilla and others followed him to explore the Southwest, Padilla then becoming one of the first Europeans to see the Grand Canyon. But, when Coronado was told by a native named the "Turk" that a great land called Quivira was in modern-day Kansas, Coronado's entire party immediately left in search of it. After reaching the location, for 25 days in 1541, the Spaniards camped alongside a Wichita Indian village; but no gold was found, and the Turk was strangled to death. Coronado returned to the Southwest and Padilla followed, but one year later Padilla would return to Kansas to preach to the Wichita, and establish the first Christian mission in the present-day U.S. He was later killed by the Wichita for his attempts at converting them and other nearby tribes. He is considered the first Christian martyr in North America.

Martyrs