Explorers and Their Motivations

Coronado and other Spanish explorers were motivated to lead expeditions to North America because of the stories they heard about —

• seven cities of gold

• a giant sea monster

• horses that could fly

• an immortal native tribe

European explorers of North America were strongly motivated by —

• the quest to find a new political capital for Spain

• a need to find the mouth of the Mississippi River

• the desire to spread the practice of enslaving people

• an intense competition between nations to claim land

Which of the following is one way Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca affected the settlement of Texas?

• By exploring and mapping Texas

• By starting the towns of Dallas and Houston

• By building the first railroad in Texas

• By establishing trade routes with Mexico

As a result of René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle's accomplishments, Spanish leaders began to —

• build Spanish forts along the Texas coast

• send aid to colonists that were abandoned

• worry about the French making claims to Texas

• form alliances with American Indian tribes in Texas

A system of missions established by the Catholic Church was intended to —

• provide housing for explorers

• relocate convicts to the region

• assist in business development

• convert natives to Christianity

What accounts for the settlement pattern evident in the maps above?

• Missions were concentrated in the coastal region.

• Missions were close to Mexico and near waterways.

• Missions were displacing many American Indian villages.

• Missions were established where towns already existed.

How did the building of missions in Texas lead to environmental changes?

• Forests were destroyed in order to build missions.

• Rivers near missions suffered the effects of pollution.

• Natural resources were used to construct the missions.

• Gold was mined in mountains located near the missions.

Mission communities aided in the economic development of Texas by —

• teaching American Indians to farm rice

• introducing practices of raising livestock

• fencing off large areas of open land for farming

• creating manufacturing centers for book publishing

A Spanish explorer who wrote about the environment of Texas and made

detailed accounts of the American Indian tribes he encountered

A Spanish explorer who explored the northern part of Texas.