1. Era of European Exploration
1500-1600
“God, Gold, Glory”
God- spread Christianity
Gold-find gold for the country
Glory- receive recognition for exploration in New World

2. Europe Eyes the Americas
• Christopher Columbus lived during a time
when Spain was at war and many people
were in poverty.
• Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand paid
for Columbus to go on an expedition to
find a new passage to China.
•Expedition: a journey undertaken by a group
of people with a definite purpose.

3. Christopher
Columbus
King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella
of Spain

5. •Columbus saw land and thought it was
the Indies (Asia).
•He got off the boat and named the
friendly people indios.
•He wasn’t in the Indies…He was in
what we now know as the Bahamas!
•He continued to sail on to find the
riches he had promised the Spanish
monarch.

6. “In 1492, COLUMBUS Sailed
the Ocean Blue”
• Columbus believed that the earth was round. He
thought he could sail to Asia (referred to as the
Indies) faster and easier by traveling westward
rather than eastward.
• He could then establish profitable routes to Asia.
(He could trade along the way.)
• Queen Isabella thought this would be a great idea
because it would establish trade with Asia ($) and
would help spread the Catholic faith.

7. • On his
voyages, Columbus
established the first
permanent colony on
Hispaniola (named Santo
Domingo).
• Columbus did not find
gold or the new passage
to Asia, but his voyages
did inspire others to seek

8. COLUMBUS’S FOUR VOYAGES

9. Columbus’s Impact
• Is credited with discovering the
Americas
• Called the people he saw the “Indios”
• Established the first permanent
colony in the Americas on Hispanola
and called it “Santo Domingo”
• Co
Columbus’s voyages led to further European
exploration and colonization, forever
changing the Americas.

10. • Following Columbus’s
lead, Spain established
colonies in the Caribbean
and Mexico. Reports of
riches drew the explorers
north to Texas where they
established a successful
mission.

11. • From 1492-1519, Spain focused
on establishing colonies in what
they thought was the Indies.
• Spanish explorers heard there
were great civilizations in the
interior, which included great
wealth.
• Explorers looking for wealth were
known as conquistadors.

12. Important Spanish Explorers:
• Hernando Cortes
• Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda
• Cabeza de Vaca/Estavanico (Esteban)
• Friar Marcos De Niza
• Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
• Hernando de Soto/Luis De Moscoso
• Alonso de Leon

13. • Cortes conquered the
Hernando Aztecs easily because
Cortes he had
cannons, guns, and
Indian allies
• Gained control of
Mexico
• Cortes brought back
gold and
silver=Spanish leaders
more eager to explore
New Spain

14. Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda
and Hernando Cortes
• Pineda’s mission was to map the coastline
of the Gulf of Mexico and establish a
Spanish colony. He was the first European
to explore and map the Texas coastline.
•Later, Cortes cut Pineda’s
journey short. He saw
Pineda as a threat to his
journey, so he arrested some
of Pineda’s men!

15. Panfilo de Narvaez
• In 1526, Narvaez was granted land from
Florida to Mexico
• Went to meet his supply ships in Gulf –
they weren’t there.
• Hurricane caused all but 4 people to die
• De Vaca and Estavanico survived

16. Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
• The survivors, DeVaca and Estevanico, from
the 1528 hurricane beached at Galveston Bay
and were captured by the Karankawas.
• At first, they were little more than slaves, but
Cabeza de Vaca learned to use native herbs for
healing and how to perform surgery
• After 18 months, de Vaca and Estevanico(first
African in Texas), were able to escape

17. • As a result of the capture, Cabeza de
Vaca and his men became the first
Europeans to see the interior of Texas.
• He also told of the legends of the 7 cities
of Cibola that he had heard from the
Native Americans.
• These tales excited the Spanish officials.

18. Cabeza de Vaca
• He also wrote
about his life with
the Native
Americans in a
work of literature
called La
relacion.
• This was the first
written work of
Texas literature.

19. The Search for the 7 Cities of Gold
• Fray Marcos led an expedition to the north to
find the 7 cities of Cibola.
• Estevanico was ordered to be the guide.
• Estevanico and a few others marched ahead
and reported back to that they had found one of
the cities.
• As the rest of the group caught up, they heard
that Estevanico had been killed by the Zuni
Indians who lived in the city called Cibola.
• In spite of the tragedy, Fray Marcos pressed on.

20. The Search Continues
• When they arrived at the golden city, they saw
the buildings shimmering in the sun.
• In reality, the buildings were made of adobe
which sparkled as the sun shone upon it.
• Not realizing the city was adobe and not
gold, Fray Marcos returned to Mexico with news
of golden cities.
• Excitement abounded and a larger expedition
was formed.

21. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
• Coronado was commissioned to find these
legendary Seven Cities of Cibola.
Coronado
and his men
became the
first
Europeans to
see West
Texas and
Palo Duro
Canyon.

22. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
• Coronado was the leader
of the 2nd and the largest
expedition for 7 cities of
Cibola.
• Fray Marcos went along
as the guide.
• Coronado felt ashamed
“not like a conqueror”
when he killed the Zuni
Indians and realized there
was no gold.

23. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
• He refused to give up his quest for gold.
• He met a native named El Turco (the Turk) who
told stories of a place farther east called Quivira.
• It supposedly had fabulous riches.
• Coronado searched for Quivira and never found it.
• He had El Turco killed when he found out that the
Turk lied to him.
• Not wanting to return with no riches, he then
traveled across Texas, New Mexico and Arizona
looking for the Seven Cities of Cibola.

24. Coronado’s Report
• Coronado’s report to the Spanish officials
stated that the land was harsh, but that it was
similar to parts of Spain.
• He was impressed by the possible wealth in the
huge herds of buffalo.
• He stated that no riches could be found, so the
land was of little use to the Spaniards.
• He also told about how the Native Americans
had lied about the golden cities to get the
Spaniards off of their land and leave them in
peace.

25. and Luis de Moscoso
• While Coronado searched for Cibola and
Quivira, Spain sent another expedition in
search of gold.
• Hernando de Soto’s expedition also did
not find any gold, but they explored East
Texas and encountered the Caddos
• They were the first exploration into the
interior of North America.

26. •De Soto explored present-day Georgia, the
Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and
Arkansas.
•When he and his expedition reached the
Mississippi River, they were discouraged and
running out of supplies. They turned back home.
•De Soto never made it back home. He died of an
illness. His successor, Luis de Moscoso de
Alvarado set out to find an overland route back to
Mexico.

27. Spain’s Interest in Texas Declines
• It was almost 60 years before another Spanish
expedition was sent into Texas.
• This expedition was the sent because an English
explorer named Sir Francis Drake came to explore
America.
• In 1610 the Spanish sent Juan de Onate to establish
the colony of Santa Fe in New Mexico.
• For around 75 years, few other Spanish explorers
entered the land of Texas.
•

28. Results of the Expeditions
1. Spain had a strong claim to TX land as a result of the
expeditions.
2. Knowledge of the land – saw and mapped much of TX
3. Spain still decided not to settle.
• no gold, etc.
• Indian problems / raids
• too far from other Spanish settlements (in current day
Mexico)
• land was too dry and rugged
• there were no large cities to conquer
4. Texas was used as a barrier between New Spain and
violent Indians and other advancing countries.

29. Spain Establishes Missions
• To compete with other nations
and to make a name for
themselves, they established
several missions in the
Americas.
• A mission is a settlement
founded to spread
Christianity to the
people of the area.
rootsweb.com/~txgenweb/ postcards/SanAntonio.html

30. Spain Establishes Missions
• The first mission in Texas was near El
Paso (Corpus Christi de la Ysleta).
• The purpose of this mission was to
spread Christianity to Native
Americans in the area.
• The mission was a
success and more
were to come.
anderson.mine.nu/.../ 2000texastrip.htm

31. French Ambitions
(France and Spain are European rivals)
• The French wanted to compete
with Spain’s quest for riches.
• They couldn’t get them without
claiming the land.

32. The French Explore
Texas
• The international competition for land
in the New World was intense.
• In 1682, La Salle mapped the
Mississippi River and claimed it, all of
the lands it watered, and its branches
for France.
• He called it La Louisiane (Louisiana).

33. • King Louis XIV funded LaSalle’s next
adventure because he was impressed
with LaSalle’s ability to map the river.
• This adventure was to establish a colony
near the Mississippi River.
• LaSalle convinced the monarch that the
French missionaries could teach the
Catholic religion to the natives.
• He also stated that crops would grow well
in the region’s rich soil.
• Most importantly, a French colony at the
mouth of the Mississippi River could
control trade in the Gulf and the interior of
North America.

34. So, off he went.
• With 4 ships, 300 colonists, 100
soldiers, and supplies.

35. The problem was…
• One ship was captured by
buccaneers (pirates).
• One ship rebelled and
returned to France with supplies.
• One ship sank.

36. Also…
• The maps that LaSalle used were correct
concerning latitude, but entirely wrong
concerning longitude.
o.
• The longitude was off by 7
• They missed the mouth of the Mississippi
River by 400 miles and ended up
shipwrecked (hit sandbar) on Matagorda
Island near Galveston Bay in Texas.
• Which Native American tribe did they
encounter here?

37. Fort St. Louis
• La Salle established the first French
colony in Texas near present-day
Garcitas Creek in Victoria County.
• The colony had trouble from the
beginning because they lost valuable
supplies at sea.
• They were helped for a while by the
Indians, but fighting soon broke out.

38. FRENCH AND SPANISH
CLAIMS ON NORTH AMERICA, 1682–1688

39. Why did the Natives turn against
LaSalle and his men?
• The Native Americans
found the supplies that
washed up on shore after
La Belle sank.
• The French took the
supplies back without
asking for them or
explaining what
happened.

40. Fort St. Louis
• La Salle tried to find a way back to the Mississippi River, but
was unsuccessful.
• While he was gone, many of his men died from diseases and
Indian attacks.
• The crops also began to fail and there was little food.
• Fort St. Louis failed, but this
colony played upon Spanish fears
that France would claim the
Americas for itself.
Out of competition, the Spaniards
renewed their exploration of the Gulf
Coast Region.
THE RACE WAS ON TO CONTROL
TEXAS!!!!!

41. Results of LaSalle’s Adventure
• It gave France a weak claim to Texas.
• It presented a challenge to Spain’s
empire north of the Rio Grande.
• The Spanish realized that if they did
not build settlements in Texas, the
French might gain control of the
region and they would not become the
world’s greatest nation.

42. Consequences
for the Native
Americans
www.rangerdj.com/ clipart/indian/indian.jpg
• Native Americans lived in Texas long
before the Europeans explored there.
• The arrival of the Spanish and French
explorers to Texas brought Native
Americans severe consequences.
• Diseases such as smallpox killed
thousands of Native Americans.

43. Europe Eyes the
Americas
Columbus came to the New
World looking for gold and a new The French Explore Texas
trade route to Asia. Although he Spain’s claims on Texas lands
found neither, his four voyages
prompted France to establish a
inspired others to seek their
fortunes in the Americas. colony of its own. Although La
Salle’s Texas colony did not
survive, France’s
presence renewed
Spain’s interest in
settling Texas.
Spanish Explorers
Come to Texas
Following Columbus’s lead, Spain
established colonies in the Caribbean and
Mexico. Reports of riches drew the
explorers north to Texas where they

44. European Explores
Columbus?
Launched the European exploration and colonization of America
Cortes?
Conquered (Aztecs) for Spain
DeVaca?
Explored Texas, captured/met Native Americans, and reported about in his book
Relacion.
Estevanico?
First African American in Texas
Coronado?
Explored the Southwest/ plains for Spain looking for riches = reported little value
for Spain,named the settlement of Amarillo
LaSalle?
Established Fort St. Louis for French, failed
Pineda?
Explored and mapped the Texas coast for Spain
DeSoto/Moscoso?
Expedition to East Texas, met Caddos

45. TIMELINE 1492–1700
1492 Columbus reaches the Americas
1519 Álvarez de Piñeda explores Gulf Coast
of Texas
1537 Cabeza de Vaca reports on Texas
1541 Coronado leads expedition into
Texas
1542 De Soto–Moscoso expedition reaches
East
1610 Juan de Oñate establishes Santa Fe
Texas
1682 Spaniards establish the first Texas
mission, Corpus Christi de la
Ysleta
1685 La Salle establishes Fort St. Louis