Transcript European Explorers In Texas

European Exploration in Texas
France Versus Spain!!
Spanish Explorers in Texas
• Early European explorers in Texas were called
Conquistadors.
Conquistador-Leader in the Spanish conquest of
the Americas.
Expedition- A journey made for some special
purpose.
Spanish Explorers in Texas
The Spanish explorers had three goals in mind
when they first came to Texas. They were called
the three “G’s”:
1. “GOD”- because God wanted them to
2. “GLORY”- of Spain
3. “GOLD”-wealth
Spanish Explorers in Texas
Some of the most prominent explorers of this
time were:
• Alonso Alvarez de Piñeda (1519)
• Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (1528)
• Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (1541)
Alonso Alvarez de Piñeda
• In 1519, Piñeda sailed
along the Texas coast
toward Mexico.
• He created the first
maps and charts of the
coast.
• Because of Piñeda,
future explorers knew
where to sail to get to
Texas.
Alonso Alvarez de Pineda
Flaying, also known as
skinning- the removal of skin
from the body
1519: Alonso Alvarez de Pineda
reached Texas but were continuously
attacked by hostile Aztec natives. He
was killed at Chila by the Aztec
Indians and they burned two of the
ships.
The remaining ship returned to
Vera Cruz and reported their
voyage of discovery. The
gruesome death of Alonso Alvarez
de Pineda was described. He was
flayed and his skin was hung in an
Aztec temple as a trophy.
Alonso Alvarez de Pineda
• Alvarez de Pineda, the first
European to see the coastal areas
of western Florida, Alabama,
Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas,
lands he called "Amichel.“
• His map is the first known
document of Texas history and was
the first map of the Gulf Coast
region of the United States.
Pineda’s map
Of the Gulf Coast
Alonso Alvarez de Pineda
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
• In 1529, Cabeza de
Vaca crashed on
Galveston Island
because of a
hurricane.
• He and 4 others
were captured by an
Indian tribe-The
Karankawas
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
• While de Vaca and his men were being held by the
Indian Tribe, they were able to heal many Indians.
• De Vaca once performed a surgery to remove an
arrow head from an Indian warriors’ chest!
• He and his men were then considered powerful
Shamen and were released by the Indians.
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
• Cabeza de Vaca was the first European to report
seeing the Bison/Buffalo that the Native American’s
had been depending upon for their survival for
thousands of years.
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
• In his diary, Cabeza de
Vaca referred to the
buffalo as “humpback
cows,” but later they
came to be called cibolo.
• There were also written
accounts of the Spanish
horses being terrified of
these “humback cows”
when they first saw them.
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
• Cabeza was the first European to explore the
interior of Texas.
• In 1542 Cabeza wrote about his time in Texas
and described the people and land he saw
here during his travels.
• In the pages of his writings, many Spaniards
believed he saw much more. They saw hints of
a fabled land of great wealth and riches called
the “seven cities of gold.”
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca’s route:
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
• In 1540, Coronado was
placed in charge of a
great search to find the
City of Gold believed to
be located in the Texas
Panhandle
• He found no gold, silver
or riches of any kind.
He only found Native
American villages, but
refused to go back to
Mexico empty-handed.
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
• Coronado was determined to stay in Texas
until he found something of value.
• In the meantime, he treated the Indians
horribly.
• Coronado’s men met an Indian named El Turco
who told them there was a vast city of wealth
to the East called Quivira.
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
• After searching for months for Quivira and it’s
riches, he never found it and ordered El Turco
killed.
Palo Duro Canyon
Coronado returned to
Mexico city in 1542
believing that the land to
the North (Texas & North
America) offered nothing
the Spanish could use.
But, during his search for
Quivira, Coronado found
the Palo Duro Canyon
Spain pulls back from Texas (early 1500’s)
After years and a lot of money Spain finally decided
there was nothing in North America they needed.
But they did discover a great deal about:
1. the Native Americans,
2. the had seen the Plains and the Woodland areas of
Texas,
3. they named many of the rivers in Texas-names that
are still used today