Section 2
Spanish Explorers Come to Texas
Spain Establishes Colonies
1492-1519 –Spain concentrated on establishing colonies in the Indies
…heard rumor of great civilizations that possessed great riches
***conquistadors…conqueror… Spanish explorers who searched for
wealth and land in the Americas
1519- Alonzo Álvarez de Piñeda…mission was to map the coastline of
the Gulf of Mexico and establish a Spanish colony
o 4 ships…270 men
o First Europeans to observe the Texas coast
o Journey cut short when he encountered fellow
Spaniard Hernán Cortés (exploring further south)
…retreated up coastline
o Established settlement near present-day
Tampico
3
Cortés Conquers Mexico
Hernán Cortés
 Commissionedby the governor of Cuba to explore
the continent
 11 ships, 508 soilders, 16 horses, weaponry
 founded the city of Veracruz
 News of Spaniards soon reached
Tenochtitlán…believed to be legendary god
Quetzalcóatl (thought Cortés’s red hair was
Quetzalcóatl’s hair of flames)
ma
Motezuma welcomed Cortés…Spaniards were not looking for friendship
o Cortés men used superior weapons to defeat Aztecs…
o Renamed Tenochtitlán…México …capital of New Spain
o Gold and silver…
 Encouraged more exploration
 Land and riches…Spain would become the leader of Erope and
the world
4
The Narváez Expedition
1526 –Pánfilo de Narváez…
… granted the land of Florida by the king of Spain
…received permission to conquer lands between Florida and Mexico and govern any
Spanish colonies he established
…400 men, 82 horses…planned to travel overland and meet ships farter up the Gulf
Coast
o Ships did not arrive
o Men were starving and desperate
o Narváez ordered men (less than 300) to build 5 rafts…hurricane
drowned many at sea, including Narváez
80 survived…beached at Galveston Bay…1st know Europeans to
set foot in present-day Texas
o Karankawas helped survivors
o Diseases {small pox, influenza} began to kill Native Americans
o Within months, most of the explorers had died…after 6 years, only 4
remained alive…
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
…Second in command
o Convinced remaining survivors {including
Estevanico} to escape…
o 18 months…traveled across Texas into
Mexico
…used skills learned from Karankawas
 herbs for healing…surgery
 remained on good terms with Native
Texans
***1st Europeans to explore the interior of
Texas…told of native legends of seven cities of
gold {Cíbola}
5
The Search for the Seven Cities of Cíbola
The viceroy {governor of a colony who rules in the
name of the king}, Antonio de Mendoza sent Friar
Marcos de Niza, Estevanico and others to confirm
Cabeza de Vaca’s story….
…Estevanico sent ahead to scout
 small cross…small city
 large cross…large city of gold
Runner arrives with a large cross…Fray Marcos hurries north to find Estevanico
has been killed by suspicious Zuni natives. Continued to march north until he
believed he saw golden rooftops...Zuni pueblos(Native American village of houses built
of adobe, or sun-dried bricks of straw and clay).
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
… 1540 – commissioned by Mendoza
to search for the Seven Cities of Cibola
 1,000 soldiers
 300 horsemen
 Several priests
 1,500 horses and mules
 Large herds of cattle and sheep
…traveled to Háwikuh (southernmost
of the seven pueblos Friar Marcos had seen)
No golden rooftops…
Coronado split his expedition…one group traveled west across New
Mexico…1st European to see the Grand Canyon
Coronado led group to east to Tiguex…met The Turk who told of a wealthy
land called Quivira
…Coronado and men began to search for Quivira…crossed the Pecos River
onto West Texas Plains {mistook buffalo for a type of cow}…reached the Palo Duro
Canyon
…sent all but 30 men back to Tiguex…40 days later found simple Native
American village near Wichita, Kansas…had The Turk killed for lying
***Claimed land for the king of Spain
6
Hernando de Soto
…led second expedition in search of the Seven Cities of
Cíbola
…explored Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama,
Mississippi, and Arkansas…reached Mississippi River …
becamediscouraged…turned back…
became ill…died…
Luis Moscoso de Alvarado… set out to
find an overland route to Mexico…led men
into East Texas {Texarkana} …
Returned to Mississippi River…built
boats to sail back to Mexico…311 of 600 men survived
1st major exploration into the interior of North America
7
Spain Establishes Missions
…No gold…no interest…
…began establishing colonies in Northern frontier
to protect Spanish interests (Sir Francis Drake set sail
for Ameica between 1578-1580…competition!)
Juan de Oñate settled in New Mexico with
400 men, some of their families, a group of priests, and a herd of 7,000 horses,
cattle and sheep
…established the capital city of Santa Fe
1629…1632 - Father Juan de Salas led a small group of missionaries
{one who is sent to do religious or charitable work in a territory or a foreign
country} to Texas…San Angelo…to work with Jumanos
1682 – established 1st mission
[settlement founded to spread Christianity
to the people of the area]
Corpus Christi de la Ysleta,
El Paso
8