“The French sailed upriver as far as Stadacona, later to be called Quebec. Stadacona was at the heart of a region known as the “Kingdom of Canada,” with “Canada” being a place name of Iroquoian origin meaning a village or group of houses. After a brief visit to the large Aboriginal town of Hochelaga on the island of Montreal, Cartier and his men settled in to face the rigours of their first North American winter. Early in May 1536 before weighing anchor for France, he erected another cross with the French coat of arms and the Latin inscription, “François I reigning by the grace of God, King of the French.” This was in fact a second claim to possession of the land.””
A People's History of Quebec
