The Early Spanish Explorers
and Their Connection to Utah
Unit 3: Chapter 4 - The Great
Encounter
This is a no gum class.
Please dispose of it
properly!
Bell Activity
Your words are “ethnocentricity”
and “presidio”.
 Find the word on your study guide and
complete the following information for the
word.
Find the definition using a glossary.
Use your own knowledge and experience to
complete the rest of the definition.
 Where should your backpack be?
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
ethnocentricity
Definition:
Draw a picture of it:
Sentence:
Synonym/
Example:
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Antonym/NonExample:
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
ethnocentricity
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Definition: the belief in the superiority Draw a picture of it:
of one’s own culture
Sentence: Ethnocentricity led many
explorers, conquistadors, and settlers to
treat the people they met poorly.
Synonym/
Antonym/NonExample:
Example:
superior, prejudice egalitarian, tolerance
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
presidio
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Definition:
Draw a picture of it:
Sentence:
Synonym/
Example:
Antonym/NonExample:
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
presidio
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Definition: a Spanish military post built Draw a picture of it:
to protect settlers and Catholic priests
From Indian attack.
Sentence: Many presidios were built in
New Mexico and California to protect the
Missions & the Catholic priests who lived
there.
Synonym/
Antonym/NonExample: fortress, Example:
fort, citadel
mission
This is a no gum class.
Please dispose of it
properly!
Bell Activity
Your word is “retrieve”.
 Find the word on your yellow study guide and
complete the following information for the word.
Find the definition using a glossary.
Use your own knowledge and experience to
complete the rest of the definition.
 Review for counties test!
 Where should your backpack be?
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
retrieve
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Definition:
Draw a picture of it:
Sentence:
Synonym/
Example:
Antonym/NonExample:
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
retrieve
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Definition:
Draw a picture of it:
Sentence:
Synonym/
Example: recover,
ake back, regain
Antonym/NonExample: lose, give
away
What are we going to learn?
 History Objective –
We will describe how
the early Spanish
explorers paved the
way for the first
non-Indians to enter
Utah.
 Language Objective –
We will listen for
important
information to
include in our notes.
 Behavior Objective – Work Ethic: Listen to
the presentation and write down the most
important details in your notes.
The Impact of the
Voyages of Columbus
 In 1492, Columbus made
his first voyage west,
finding the Americas.
 Although Columbus was
not the first non-Native
American to arrive in the
Americas, his voyage
awakened Europe to a new
reality.
 There was a new land to
explore, conquer, convert,
and settle across the
ocean.
Spain’s Advantage
 The Spanish had
around a hundred
years head start
before other
European powers
began to make
serious attempts at
conquest and
colonization.
 By then, Spain had
created an empire.
New Explorers
 Spain sent new
explorers to claim
North and South
America.
 They quickly
subdued many of the
islands in the
Caribbean before
setting their sights
on the mainland,
where rich and
advanced
civilizations were
rumored to exist.
Conquest
and
Colonies
 The Spanish conquistadores, like Cortez (1519-22)
and Pizarro (1532), invaded and took over the
advanced civilizations in Meso and South America.
 They would likely not have succeeded if disease and
other factors had not weakened the great empires
they encountered.
 The Spanish were the first to establish colonies in
North America.
The Search for Riches
 Hoping to duplicate the success
of Cortez and Pizarro, other
explorers went north into what
is now the United States.
 Coronado (1540-2) was one of
these early explorers. He
hoped to find Cibola, the
fabled cities of gold, but only
succeeded in mapping much of
the terrain.
 This information along with
that collected by other
explorers helped future
settlers of the land.
Santa Fe becomes an
important city.
 Spanish pioneers created new
settlements, one of which was
Santa Fe (1610).
 Although they would like to
have found gold or silver, they
were mostly interested in
converting Native Americans to
Catholicism.
 Future expeditions used Santa
Fe as a starting point.
Expanding
European
Powers
 Over the course of the next 200+ years, Spain’s hold
over North and South America expanded greatly.
 Other European powers were also joining in the race
to conquer and colonize.
 The map shows the extent of the European powers
at the beginning of the 1700s.
Spain Looks to Expand North
 The English, French,
and Russians were
each making claims
on North America.
 The competition for
land and resources
in the Americas
eventually caused
Spain to expand
north into what is
now the United
States.
Spanish Culture
 As they expanded, the
Spanish established
presidios and missions
on the frontier.
 Presidios were military
outposts that protected
Spanish priests and
settlers.
 Missions were places
that priests established
to teach and convert
the local Native
Americans. (Note the
dates in the video for
your groups timeline.)
The Old Spanish Trail
 With the development
of missions and
settlements in
California, the Spanish
in Santa Fe and other
settlements wanted to
be able to trade with
them.
 They needed a reliable
trail that could take
them to the coast of
California.
Juan Maria Antonio de Rivera
 Almost 300 years after
Columbus, Juan Rivera (1765)
became the first non-Indian
who is known to have entered
Utah.
 An Indian from the Ute tribe
had brought a silver ingot to a
town near Santa Fe. This made
the Spanish interested in
exploring northward to find its
source.
 Rivera wanted to find the
source of the Colorado River
and silver deposits that the
Spanish could mine.
Rivera’s Expedition in Utah
 Rivera followed trails that
were already used by the
Indians and Spanish raiders.
 He entered Utah near
Monticello and moved around
the La Sal mountains.
 His expedition moved down
the Spanish valley to near
what is now the city of Moab.
 His expedition found a ford
(river crossing) that would
later be used on the Spanish
Trail.
A New Expedition
 In 1776, the same
year that the
Declaration of
Independence was
signed in
Philadelphia, a new
expedition set out
from Santa Fe to
find a route to
California.
Leaders of an Expedition
 This new expedition was
led by two Catholic
priests, Francisco
Dominguez & Silvestre
Escalante.
 With them went a map
maker named Don
Bernardo Miera y Pacheco,
who created the first
detailed maps of what
would become Utah.
 They set out for Santa Fe
and traveled through much
of Utah.
Native Americans
& the Expedition
 While they traveled
through eastern Utah,
Dominguez and Escalante
met two Ute Indian
whom they called
Silvestre and Joaquin.
 They guided the fathers
to an area near Provo
where they saw many
villages along the shore.
 They even saved the
lives of the expedition
when they came upon
unfriendly natives.
Let’s read…
 We are going to
present a Reader’s
Theatre based on the
expeditions of Rivera,
Garces, and
Dominguez and
Escalante.
 You will use the
Reader’s Theatre to
answer questions
about the Spanish &
their Utah connection.
What do you think?
 The Spanish explored for gold, conquered Indians,
and brought devout missionaries to spread the
Catholic religion.
 What do you think about their mixed desire for
wealth, power, and religion? Think of instances of
these ideas in the world today. Why do people
often think “my way, or no way” when it comes to
power and religion?
Let’s track the expedition on our map to
see which Native territories they entered.
Timeline
 Now let’s work together to create a timeline.
 Include the date and a short summary of the
event.
This is a no gum class.
Please dispose of it
properly!
Bell Activity
Your words are “barter” and
“retrieve”.
 Find the word on your yellow study guide
and complete the following information for
the word.
Find the definition using a glossary.
Use your own knowledge and experience to
complete the rest of the definition.
 Where should your backpack be?
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
barter
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Definition:
Draw a picture of it:
Sentence:
Synonym/
Example:
Antonym/NonExample:
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
barter
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Definition:
Draw a picture of it:
Sentence:
Synonym/
Example: trade,
bargain, haggle
Antonym/NonExample: buy or sell
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
retrieve
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Definition:
Draw a picture of it:
Sentence:
Synonym/
Example:
Antonym/NonExample:
Does your work look something like
this?
Word:
retrieve
My Understanding: 4 3 2 1
Definition:
Draw a picture of it:
Sentence:
Synonym/
Example: recover,
ake back, regain
Antonym/NonExample: lose, give
away