1. Explorers of Texas

2. Cortes (Spain) Areas Explored: Achievements/Known For:
Eastern coast of Mexico to Mexico City
Achievements/Known For:
Conquering the Aztecs; finding lots of gold; Aztec capital became Mexico City and capital of New Spain

3. Cabeza de Vaca (Spain) Areas Explored:
-from Florida to coast of Texas; landed on Galveston Island then traveled interior Tx to Mexico
Achievements/Known For:
- first European to set foot in Texas; reported seeing new sights like buffalo; performed the first surgery; heard about seven cities of gold

4. Pineda (Spain) Areas Explored: Achievements/Known For:
Coast of Texas and Mexico
Achievements/Known For:
found Rio de las Palmas (Rio Grande)
first to map the coast of Texas & Mexico

5. Coronado (Spain) Areas Explored: Achievements/Known For:
New Mexico, Arizona, West & North Texas (panhandle), Oklahoma & Kansas
Achievements/Known For:
Looking for the Seven Cities of Gold (Cibola & Quivera); only found mud and angry Zuni warriors; found the Grand Canyon; wrote about what he saw

6. Moscoso (Spain) Areas Explored:
- Florida to Mississippi R. to East Texas and the Brazos R.
Achievements/Known For:
First Europeans to reach the Miss. River; named the commander of the expedition when de Soto died; found the Brazos River

7. LaSalle (France) Areas Explored: Achievements/Known For:
Mississippi R., Coast of Texas- Matagorda Bay, Louisiana
Achievements/Known For:
Claimed all of the land around the Miss. R for France (named it after the king); set up the 1st French colony called Fort St. Louis; 1st European to navigate the Miss R., colony failed but it made Spain pay more attention to TX.