Early Explorers in Texas

Spanish and French

VocabularyConquistadores: Spanish Soldiers, sought riches and power for themselves and wealth and glory for Spain

Friars: members of Catholic religious orders

Missions: religious outposts, often the first settlement in an area

Viceroy: an official who represents the monarch

Pueblo: a series of connected flat-roofed buildings often made of adobe

Stockade: an enclosure of posts made to form a defense

Sandbar: a ridge built up by currents in a river or coastal waters

SpainChristopher Columbus

Hernan CortesAlonso Alvarez de Pineda

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de VacaPanfilo de Narvaez

EstevanicoAntonio de MendozaFray Marcos de Niza

Francisco Vazquez de CoronadoHernan de SotoLuis de Moscoso

CHRISTOPHERCOLUMBUS

Sailed across the Atlantic for 33 days straight on his 3 ships

Sighted land in October 1492 (the Caribbean Islands)

Was searching for route to Asia

Was Italian but sailing for Spain

He returned 3 times after his first voyage

On his second visit, he established a colony in the West Indies

Spanish ReasonsFor

Exploration

God, Glory, & GoldAdventure & Curiosity

Possibilities of Settlement

Hernan CortesSailed from Cuba to Mexico in February 1519Led his army toward Tenochtitlan-the Aztec

capitalConvinced tribes who suffered under the Aztecs

to rebelHe was welcomed into the capital at first

He soon took Moctezuma-their emperor-hostageAztecs rebelled and their leader was killed

Cortes tore down the city and stole its treasuresBuilt a new city on its ruins, Mexico

Later known as Mexico City and Mexico’s capitalHis success led others to the Americas

Alonso Alvarez de Pineda1519, Became the first European to explore the Texas

coastline

As he sailed along the coastline, he observed and mapped the land

Stopped at the mouth of a river for 40 days

Named it Rio de las Palmas

Reported his findings and maps to a superior in Jamaica

Returned to Mexico to begin a settlement

Died in 1520 in a Native American uprising

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de VacaA part of an expedition sent to conquer an area between

Florida and Mexico in 1527

Expedition was led by Panfilo de Narvaez, it failed

Were stranded in Florida so they build boats to travel along coast

Hurricane hit in November 1528, they crashed onto Galveston Island

These survivors were the first to enter Texas

Captured by the Karankawas who were kind to their captures

Many explorers died within months from disease & exposure

Natives also died from disease

De Vaca and captives survived by adapting to the ways of the natives

Only a few survived, Estevanico-the first known black man in Texas-was one of themTravelled the interior of Texas, learning the

geography and peopleSpent 6 years with the natives

He escaped and travelled further west for many months, reaching Culiacan, Mexico in 1536-where he told his stories of the seven

cities of gold, CibolaHe admitted to never finding the gold or

riches himself-he suggested they send others to search

Antonio de MendozaSpain’s highest ranking official in New Spain

A viceroyde Vaca’s story intrigued him

Found others to return in search of the cities of gold,

de Vaca wanted to return to SpainSent a priest, Fray Marcos de Niza, to check out the story, Estevanico accompanied him to

show the natives they were friendlyEstevanico was killed by Indians and Fray Niza

confirmed that Cibola was a pueblo but also claimed he got a glimse of a golden city.

Mendoza immediately sent an expedition in search of it

Francisco Vasquez de CoronadoWas the one sent by Mendoza

Fray Marcos joined them

After 5 months of travel, on July 7, 1540, he found Cibola-disappointed

Fray Marcos left for Mexico immediately

Coronado wanted to find something worth the expedition so he travelled on

He divided his forces:

one west-found the Grand Canyon

one east-his-heard a story from a Native, Turk, of a great city

He and his men would search for the city but found the Texas Plains

It was easy to get lost in the Plains

Came across the Palo Duro Canyon near present day Amarillo

They continued northward

Finding nothing, he put the Turk to death

Claimed Witchita country for Spain

HERNAN DE SOTOLanded in Florida in 1539

The first European to reach the Mississippi, 1541Died there in 1542

LUIS DE MOSCOSOTook charge of the expedition

Went as far west as the Brazos RiverWent back to the Mississippi and sailed down into the Gulf

Spain’s interest decreased in Texas:

No treasures found like those found in Mexico

They built towns in other areas

FranceRene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle

1682-Led the first expedition down the Mississippi River

Claimed the entire inland area around the river for France

August 1, 1684-Four ships, 280 colonists set sail for Louisiana

Spanish ships captured one shipOthers were separated by a storm

Missed the mouth of the Mississippi and sailed 400 miles west

Still searching for the Mississippi, he decided to go ashore at Matagora Bay

During landing, one ship crashed, losing many needed supplies

They built a stockade, which became Fort St. Louis

He left to explore, some stayed to defend the fort

He found nothing and came back to find the same

Overwork, poor food, and conflicts with Natives claimed the lives of many

One ship sailed back to FranceThe other had wrecked on a Sandbar

Crops failed and disease struckLess than 40 of the original 280 settlers

survived

He decided to head east to find the Mississippi

Members of the expedition did not want to move on

They killed LaSalle on March 19, 1687Without him, the colony was lostA few members of the expedition

headed north to Canada

LaSalle’s efforts bore many results:

Trade with the Natives of the Mississippi Valley

Kept the claim to Texas alive in their imagination

It shifted the focus of Spanish interest from western Texas to eastern Texas