1. Explorers of North America and Texas
Explorers of North America and Texas

2. Explorers of New Spain (Texas)

3. Explorer: Christopher Columbus
1492= Year he discovered the West Indies
Explored – the Caribbean Islands
Goal: Find a direct water route to Asia.
BUT…He found “Indians” and new natural resources,
(but no route to India
or China).
Born: Italy From: Spain

4. Christopher Columbus Known for - West Indies/New World
Why in Texas? He wasn’t!!! Did not get to Texas!
Impact of Expedition -
**Failure – he didn’t discover a faster route to Asia
**Success – he opened up the “New World” to Europe
**First European encounter with the Americas.
Established the ‘Columbian Exchange’ of goods
and ideas across the Atlantic.
Impact on Texas - Started Spanish exploration in North America (Texas)

5. Christopher Columbus
**Interactive Map: Explorers (Pearson)

6. Explorers of North America and Texas
Hernán Cortés
1519
(1521 – conquered Aztecs)
Explored: Mexico & Central America
Goal: Conquer the Aztec empire in Mexico (locals thought they were gods
with their armor & horses).
From: Spain

7. Hernán Cortés Known for - Mexico/Aztecs
Why in Texas? - He wasn’t!!! BUT his purpose for exploring was to get GOLD, GLORY and GOD for Spain
Impact of Expedition –
**Success - conquered the Aztecs and became the first “governor” of New Spain (Mexico)
**Established New Spain in Mexico and Central America, brought home great wealth, and spread Christian faith.
Impact on Texas - Inspired others to explore more territory in North America

8. Hernán Cortés
**Interactive Map: Explorers (Pearson)

9. Columbus Cortez Pizarro Pineda De Vaca Coronado Moscoso La Salle
The two explorers that we just talked about were NEVER IN TEXAS!!!!
Pizarro
Pineda
De Vaca
Coronado
Moscoso
La Salle
All of the rest of the explorers WERE in Texas at some point!!!

10. Explorers of North America and Texas
Francisco Pizarro
XXX?
1532
Explored: South America
From: Spain

11. XXX? Francisco Pizarro Goal: Conquer the wealthy
Incan empire in Peru – 1532 (with superior firepower & horses).
XXX?
Important??? = Extended Spanish control into South America along with “God, gold, and glory.”

12. Francisco Pizarro

13. Explorers of North America and Texas
Alonso Álvarez de Pineda
From: Spain
1519 -
** Year TX History began (the year he mapped our coast)
Explored: along Texas coast
Goal: Search for a water
route to the Pacific Ocean,
but failed.
First to see Mississippi River.

14. Alonso Álvarez de Pineda
Known for - MAP
Why in Texas? - The governor of Jamaica ordered Pineda to explore this new area in order to find a route to the Pacific
Impact of Expedition - Success (he mapped the coast)
Failure (no route to the Pacific)
** Created first maps and charts of Texas coast and may have had first contact with Texas Indians.
Impact on Texas - 1st to observe and map the Texas Coast

16. Explorers of North America and Texas
Pánfilo de Narváez
From: Spain
1527
Explored: Florida to Texas coast
Goal: Explore lands north of Mexico, but bad luck and storms doomed expedition.
Impact of Expedition: Explored Cuba, his survivors were first Europeans to set foot on Texas soil in 1528.

17. Explorers of North America and Texas
Pánfilo de Narváez

18. Explorers of North America and Texas
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
From: Spain
XXX?
1528
1528 – 1536
Years he was stranded in North America
Explored: From upper Texas coast to Mexico
Goal: Survive shipwreck and return to Mexico.
Lived among Indians as
a slave, shaman, and trader until 1536.

19. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Known for SHIPWRECK
Why in Texas? Oops… it was an accident… shipwrecked --(looking for GOLD in FL, Narvaez was killed)
Impact of Expedition: Failure – no GOLD, no GLORY… but he did… meet the Karankawas, Texas’ 1st explorer, 1st surgeon, 1st author with Relacion
Impact on Texas Told tales of cities of gold – led to more exploration

20. Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
Known for : PANHANDLE
Why in Texas? Looking for the 7 cities of GOLD
Impact of Expedition: Failure – No gold, no settlements crossed the “Sea of Grass” (TX Panhandle)
Impact on Texas: Told about buffalo, villages, TX LAND in the Panhandle
** Discovered the Grand Canyon, claimed land for Spain, and gathered information on
native cultures.

21. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
***Published book in 1542, described land, people, and animals. Talked of gold at the Seven Cities of Cíbola.

22. Explorers of North America and Texas
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
From: Spain
years he explored Great Plains
Explored: Mexico | Great Plains into Kansas
Goal: Find the City of Gold (Cíbola), but they found
no treasure.

23. Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
XXX?

24. Explorers of North America and Texas
Hernando De Soto /
Luis de Moscoso
XXX?
From Spain
Moscoso in charge of expedition
1539 & 1542

25. De Soto / Moscoso
Goal: Find riches in North America, but De Soto died soon after crossing the Mississippi River.
Known for EAST TX
Why in Texas? Hernan de Soto was looking for GOLD, when he died, Moscoso took over and took the expedition to East TX
Impact of Expedition: Failure – no gold, did find petroleum
Impact on Texas: 1st European in East TX

26. XXX? Hernando De Soto / Luis de Moscoso
**De Soto discovered Mississippi River
**Moscoso came to East Texas, met Caddoes, and found oil.

27. XXX?

28. Explorers of North America and Texas
Juan de Oñate
XXX?
1598

29. Explorers of North America and Texas
Juan de Oñate
XXX?
Goal: Find riches and establish Catholic missions in TX/NM.
Founded El Paso and Santa Fe.

30. Explorers of North America and Texas
Juan de Oñate
XXX?
Claimed New Mexico for Spain and celebrated the first Thanksgiving in North America (Texas, April 1598).
[English Pilgrims: November 1621]

31. Explorers of North America and Texas
Juan de Oñate
XXX?

32. Explorers of North America and Texas*
NARVAEZ ENDS AT GALVESTON ( ) WITH SHIPWRECK *

33. Explorer: La Salle (1685-1687) Years Fort St. Louis was in Texas
Known for French
Why in Texas? He was LOST!! Looking for the Mississippi River
Impact of Fort St. Louis (settlement) – claimed TX for the Expedition French for two years – murdered by his own crew
Impact on Made the Spanish paranoid – the Spanish got Texas more serious about settling TX and not just exploring it

34. FRENCH Explorers: Explorers of North America and Texas
René Robert Cavelier,
Sieur de
La Salle
XXX?
1682 & 1684

35. Explorers of North America and Texas
René Robert Cavelier,
Sieur de La Salle
XXX?
Goal: Find Northwest Passage, but claimed all lands drained into Mississippi River for France and King Louis XIV (1682).

36. Explorers of North America and Texas
René Robert Cavelier,
Sieur de La Salle
XXX?
Return journey from France (1684) landed in Texas, killed by his men. French trade with Native Texans turns Spanish focus to East Texas.

37. Explorers of North America and Texas

40. Quiz: The Age of Contact Begins
Where did Columbus actually land on his first voyage of discovery?
A. India
B. China
C. an island in the Pacific Ocean
D. an island in the Caribbean Sea

41. Quiz: The Conquistadors
Why did the Spanish conquistadors start sailing to the Americas?
A. to find oil
B. to find gold
C. to become fur traders
D. to convert natives to Christianity

42. Quiz: Cortés Conquers the Aztecs
What did the Spanish build on the ruins of Tenochtitlán?
A. a temple
B. a fort
C. Mexico City
D. Lake Texcoco