Early Explorers of Texas

Early Explorers of Texas

What reasons motivated many explorers to come to Texas?

Open Ended

What does explore mean? Can you think of a time when you went "exploring"?

Multiple Choice

What year did Christopher Columbus land in Caribbean Islands?

• 1492

• 1519

• 1521

• 1536

Alonso Álvarez de Pineda

1519

• Purpose - looking for a waterway to China

• Didn't find it because he sailed north into the Gulf of Mexico

• First to see the coast of America

• First to see the coast of America Created the first known map of the Gulf Coast of Texas

• Disproved waterway to China

• Killed by Native Americans in 1520 but his map made it back to Spain

Multiple Select

Which of the following would you consider the biggest accomplishment for Pineda?

• Finding the land of America

• Making a map of the coast

• disproving a waterway to China exists

• Sending the map back to Spain before he died

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

1528 - 1536

• separated in Florida from crew

• built raft and ended up near Galveston

• captured by Native Americans

• escaped and met up with friendlier tribe

• survived by trading and healing the sick

• Traveled through Texas and Mexico and ended up coming across Spanish soldiers

• Was able to sail back to Spain and then wrote a book about Native American way of life and stories of gold and treasure. Also detailed accounts of the geography of Texas and Mexico

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

1540 - 1542

• Inspired by de Vaca's story of gold

• led an expedition to find cities of gold

• first to travel through Panhandle of Texas

• reported Texas was good for crops but nothing else

• became frustrated he never found gold and blamed the Native Americans. He killed them even though the King of Spain told him to treat them kindly

Juan de Oñate

1598-1608

• King of Spain gave persmission to settle New Mexico

• main mission: convert Native Americans to Christianity

• hoping to find silver and get rich

• Explored very west Texas and created the El Camino Real or Royal Road

Open Ended

Of all of the first explorers, which one do you think made the greatest impact on the discovery of Texas? Why?