TEXAS HISTORY
Uvalde Junior High
EUROPEAN EXPLORATION
SPAIN EXPANDS ITS INFLUENCES
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In the late 1400s Christopher Columbus
persuaded Queen Isabella and King
Ferdinand of Spain to pay for his expedition
to find a direct water route to Asia.
Columbus was Italian and knew that the
world was round. He wanted to open trade
with Asia which would be valuable to Spain.
On August 3rd 1492 Columbus set sail for
Asia on the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.
REACHING THE AMERICAS
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Land was sighted on October 12th 1492. Columbus landed in what he
believed was the Indies in Asia. He named the island he landed on San
Salvador and the people he saw Indios.
Columbus spent several months searching for riches. Spain paid for several
more expeditions and he was told to conquer the lands in the name of
Spain.
Columbus’s voyages inspired other European explorers to further discover,
explore, and colonize Texas.
Claiming Territory
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Columbus established the first
permanent colony on Hispaniola
and called it Santo Domingo.
A colony is land claimed for and
controlled by a distant nation.
Columbus made a total of four
separate expeditions but failed to
find a water route to Asia or bring
riches back to Spain. The King and
Queen cut off his support when
they found out he was torturing
and enslaving thousands of people
in the Caribbean.
THE FOUR VOYAGES
SPAIN ESTABLISHES COLONIES
From 1492 to 1519 Spain established colonies
in what is known as the Indies. They began to
hear about great civilizations that were rich.
Spanish explorers known as conquistadors
wanted to conquer these societies and take its
wealth for themselves.
 In 1519 Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda was sent to
explore the Texas coast. He was the first
European to observe and map the Texas
coastline.(1519)
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Hernan Cortez
CORTEZ CONQUERS MEXICO
Hernan Cortes was commissioned to conquer
the continent. A commission is a grant of power
to carry out task. Cortes landed in Mexico with
11 ships and 508 soldiers and founded
Veracruz.
 Cortes reached Tenochtitlan. Montezuma
believed he was the god Quetzalcoatl. Cortes
wanted the Aztec gold and defeated the Aztecs.
He renamed Tenochtitlan, Mexico City.
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Panfilo de Narvaez
THE NARVAEZ EXPEDITION
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In 1526 Panfilo de Narvaez was granted Florida
and was told to conquer all lands between
Florida and Mexico. He took 400 men to
explore and conquer the land. He ships did not
meet him and he tried to build rafts to get to
Mexico. He was drowned in a hurricane in
1528. 80 survivors beached at Galveston Bay.
They were the first Europeans to set foot in
Texas. 6 years later only 4 of them survived.
The Karankawas tried to help them but many
died of disease caught from the explorers.
Cabeza de Vaca
ALVAR NUNEZ CABEZA DE VACA
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Two of the survivors were Cabeza de Vaca and
an African named Estevanico. They decided to
travel to Mexico overland. They walked for 18
months. They learned how to survive from the
Karankawas. They were the first Europeans to
explore the interior of Texas. They arrived in
Culiacan in 1536 then later traveled to Mexico
City and Spain. He told the Spanish of the
legendary seven cities of gold, Cibola.
SEVEN CITIES OF CIBOLA
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Antonio de Mendoza, the viceroy of New Spain,
sent Friar Marcos de Niza, Estevanico, and
others to confirm the Cabeza de Vaca’s story.
Estevanico was killed by Zuni natives. Friar
Marcos continued to look for the cities and he
believed he found it in the Arizona-New Mexico
area. He saw a shiny city at a distance and
went to report his find. He likely saw the sun
reflecting off the roof of a Zuni pueblo, a village
made of adobe.
FRANCISCO VASQUEZ DE CORONADO
On January 6th 1540 Coronado set out to find
Cibola. He took 1,000 soldiers, 300 horsemen,
and 1,500 horses to the Zuni village of
Hawikuh. They only found adobe houses.
 The expedition split up with one half going west
where they discovered the Grand Canyon.
Coronado went east and met a native names
The Turk who told him of a wealthy land called
Quivira.
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He asked The Turk to lead him in search of
Quivira. They went into West Texas. They saw a
buffalo herd for the first time. They made it to
the Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo.
 Coronado suspected The Turk was lying to him
and ordered his men back. They never found
Quivira and he had The Turk killed.
 Coronado then claimed the land for Spain and
headed back to Mexico City.
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HERNANDO DE SOTO
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In1539 a second expedition left Spain to look
for the Seven Cities of Cibola led by de Soto. It
set sail from Florida and was unable to find
Quivira. He searched for riches in the Geogia,
Tennessee area and discovered the Mississippi
river in 1541. He turned back and died before
reaching the coast. Luis Moscoso de Alvarado
led his men overland to Texarcana but they ran
out of food and had to turn back to the
Mississippi. This was the first major exploration
of the interior of North America.
SPAIN ESTABLISHES MISSIONS
The Spanish established Catholic missions
during the 1600’s to 1800’s. They were built
because the Catholic Church was growing and
it needed to be protected, to teach Christianity
and Spanish culture to the Native Americans.
 Spain lost interest in finding riches in North
America. But when the English started to
explore the Americas Spain decided to
establish a Spanish colony in North America. In
1598 Juan de Ornate settled New Mexico and
set up the capital city of Santa Fe in 1610.
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Robert La Salle
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Sent by King Louis XIV to colonize the Texas coast for
France
Shipwrecked on Matagorda Island while looking for
the mouth of the Mississippi River
He established Fort St. Louis on Matagorda Bay. The
colony only lasted two years because of disease, failed
crops, Indian attacks and failed leadership.
He did however claim the entire Mississippi River
Basin for France and called it Louisiana.
Reasons for Exploration
3 G’s
God-Spread the Catholic religion
Gold-Find gold for the country financing their
expedition
Glory-to receive recognition for exploration of the
New World
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