Which European explorer is credited as the first to discover the Grand Canyon and the American southwest?

Francisco Coronado is credited as the first European explorer to discover the Grand Canyon and explore significant portions of the American Southwest during the early 1540s. He embarked on an expedition motivated by the pursuit of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold, which led him to traverse vast landscapes, including the territories that now make up Arizona and New Mexico.

Coronado's explorations provided crucial European insights into the geography and native cultures of the region. His documentation of the Grand Canyon helped bring this natural wonder to the attention of Europeans, even though it is important to note that Native Americans had inhabited and known about the canyon long before Coronado's expeditions.

The other explorers listed did not venture into the American Southwest in the context that Coronado did. Ferdinand Magellan is known for circumnavigating the globe, Henry Hudson is recognized for his explorations of North America predominantly around present-day New York and the Hudson River, and Francis Drake is renowned for his circumnavigation of the world and piracy against Spanish ships. Thus, these other explorers' contributions lie in different regions or types of exploration rather than in the discovery of the Grand Canyon.