Exploring Texas:1519 - 1700

Lone Star: The Story of Texas

Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.

Spain Prepares for ExplorationWhat was the Reconquista?How did the Reconquista influence the

way Spanish men viewed the military?What were the goals of Columbus’s

voyage?

Spain and the Reconquista

Since the A.D. 700s, Spanish Christians battled to regain control of Spain. During that time, Spain was controlled by the Moors, an Islamic people. The Christians believed that God wanted them to drive out the Moors. The struggle ended in 1492 when Spanish Christians drove the Moors out of Granada.• This 800-year struggle was called the

Reconquista, or reconquest.• The Moors were an Islamic people who originally

came from northwest Africa. THEY CONTROLLED SPAIN FOR 800 YEARS.

Reconquista Christopher Columbus

The Moors gain control of Spain.The Moors gain control of Spain.

800 years of struggle, called the Reconquista, begin as Spain fights to

retake the land.

800 years of struggle, called the Reconquista, begin as Spain fights to

retake the land.

Spain drives the Moors out.Spain drives the Moors out.

The defeat of the Moors inspires Spain to explore other lands.

The defeat of the Moors inspires Spain to explore other lands.

Spain funds Christopher Columbus’s overseas voyage.

Spain funds Christopher Columbus’s overseas voyage.

His findings lead to the voyages of more explorers.

His findings lead to the voyages of more explorers.

Who is Christopher Columbus?

Columbus’s VoyageThe king of Portugal

turned down Columbus’s request for support.

The successful end of the Reconquista in 1492 inspired Queen Isabella and Kind Ferdinand of Spain to back Columbus’s voyage.

Columbus promised to find new trade routes to China and India.

Columbus failed to find a direct route to Asia.

He landed in the Caribbean instead.

The gold and captive Indians he brought back convinced the king and queen of Spain that America would provide the wealth they had hoped to find in Asia.

Early European Exploration in the AmericasCompare the following images

The Conquistadors

Spanish soldiers who sailed to America were called conquistadors, or conquerors. These fierce, determined soldiers had several goals:• To bring their religion to “non-believers”• To obtain great wealth and glory• To find the legendary Seven Cities of Cíbola

Cortés and the AztecsHernán Cortés had several advantages that helped him defeat the powerful Aztecs in Mexico:• Horses - These animals were

unknown to the Aztecs. They enabled soldiers to travel great distances.

• Weapons - Cortés had steel swords, guns, armor, and cannons against the Aztecs’ bows and arrows, clubs, and spears.

• Allies - The Aztecs forced their conquered enemies to pay them tribute, a payment of food and other valuables. Some of these angry, defeated Indians joined Cortés in his struggle against the Aztecs.

The Aztec Empire

The Aztec emperor Moctezuma II welcomed Cortés to the Aztec capital city, Tenochtitlán. Moctezuma thought Cortés was a god.

The Spanish killed hundreds of unarmed Indians for performing a non-Christian ceremony. The Aztecs drove them from Tenochtitlán.

Cortés and his men responded by attacking and destroying Tenochtitlán. The Spanish built Mexico City on the ruins of that once magnificent city.

After CortésWithin a few years, Spain controlled all the land of

present-day Mexico. This land became the viceroyalty of New Spain.

The Spanish then spread into Central and South America.

Spanish explorers carried common childhood illnesses with them. The Indians had no resistance to these diseases, so many died from them.

The Spanish completed their conquest of Central and South America in a matter of a few years.

European Explorers Meet the Native Texans

What did Alonso Álvarez de Pineda’s voyage to Texas accomplish?

What happened to the Narváez expedition?

What did Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca do in Texas?

Álvarez de Pineda’s ExpeditionCaptain Alonso Álvarez

de Pineda sailed along the Gulf of Mexico in search of a water route to the Pacific Ocean.

This voyage gave the Spanish their first accurate information about the Texas coast, including a well-drawn map.

He drew the first map of the Gulf coast in 1519

The Nárvaez DisasterIn 1527, Panfilo de Nárvaez led an expedition to

explore the Gulf Coast from Florida to northern Mexico. The expedition was a disaster.

Half his crew sailed off, abandoning the other half who had ventured inland. Many of those soldiers suffered sickness and hunger.

Desperate to return to Spain, they set off on homemade rafts. During a storm they were tossed up on San Luis Island, near Galveston. They were the first known Europeans to set foot on Texas soil.

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

was one of the few Narváez survivors.

He became a trader and traveled widely across coastal Texas.

He later met up with three fellow Narváez survivors.

They gained a reputation as powerful shamans.

Relación - Cabeza de Vaca’s account of his time in Texas. It hinted at the existence of the Seven Cities of Cíbola in Texas

Successes and FailuresWhat were the goals of the expedition of

Marcos de Niza?What were the goals of the expedition of

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado?How did Texas get its name?

Marcos de Niza and Estevanico’s Expedition

Marcos de Niza was a priest who led a group to find the legendary Seven Cities of Cíbola. The Viceroy of New Spain appointed Estevanico to be the group’s guide. Estevanico was an enslaved Moor who traveled through Texas with Cabeza de Vaca.

Estevanico sent back a report that he had found Cíbola. Soon afterward, he was killed by Indians.

In fear, Marcos de Niza turned back. He reported that he had seen Cíbola from the top of a hill. His report convinced many that rich lands lay waiting.

Coronado Heads North

Spain sent explorer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado to conquer Cíbola and take its treasure. Coronado found no gold in Cíbola. He continued searching the area for something of value, with no luck. In 1542, he returned to Mexico. He reported that the land to the north offered nothing of value to the Spanish.Coronado’s men were the first Europeans to

see the Grand Canyon.Coronado’s treasure hunt brought him as far

north as present-day Kansas.

De Soto and Moscoso For four years, Hernando de Soto explored the land that is

now the southeastern United States, in search of riches. Upon De Soto’s death, Luis de Moscoso Alvarado took over

the expedition. His group made it their goal to reach Mexico by land.

The Caddoes they met on their travels greeted them by saying “Tay-yas,” meaning friends. This is how Texas got its name.

Finding no gold, Moscoso’s men went back to the Mississippi River and returned to Mexico by sea.

On that voyage, they stumbled upon petroleum, the substance that provides oil, gasoline, and other fuels. The Spanish did not immediately recognize the value of this “black gold.”

French ExplorersWhy did the French want to establish

colonies in North America?Why did La Salle build a fort in Texas?

French Explorers French explorers trapped

and traded furs throughout much of North America.

Along the way, they claimed land for France.

French explorer La Salle searched for the Northwest Passage, a water route that would provide a shortcut to Asia.

At this time, France and Spain were at war.

La Salle claimed for France all the land that drained into the Mississippi River, including part of Texas.

He named the land Louisiana, after the French king, Louis XIV.

La Salle planned to build a fort at the mouth of the Mississippi River. He wanted to expand his trade empire and have a base for an attack on Mexico.

La Salle’s ExpeditionIn 1684, La Salle set sail from France. His plan was to build Fort St. Louis near the mouth of the Mississippi River. His expedition faced many problems:

• La Salle was difficult to get along with and argued with his naval officers.

• Pirates and shipwrecks plagued the expedition.• The Spaniards captured one of his four ships. La Salle

lost crew members and supplies.• La Salle’s crew missed the Mississippi River. They

landed instead at present-day Matagorda Bay.

La Salle

Explored Great Lakes, Canada, Mississippi River, East Texas, and Louisiana

Claimed all lands that drained into the Mississippi for France

Named Louisiana after French King Louis XIV

Claimed land in East Texas sets up Fort St. Louis in Matagorda Bay

Fort St. LouisFort St. Louis Harsh living conditions

made many explorers sick. The French had hostile

relations with the local tribe, the Karankawas.

During La Salle’s search for a safer location for the fort, his men staged a mutiny, a revolt of soldiers or sailors against their leaders. They murdered La Salle in 1687.

Fort St. Louis Destroyed La Salle had taken most of

his able-bodied men with him on his search for the Mississippi. After his death, they ran away or were killed by Indians.

The Karankawas attacked the vulnerable fort and took the five remaining settlers captive.

Spanish ReactionThe Spanish who had left the Americas

after not finding the wealth they hoped for returned when the French took control of East Texas.

Spain returned with a focus on converting Native Texans into Catholics so they would be loyal to Spain.

This launched the Spanish mission and presidio system

Explorers SummaryColumbus 1492, Spanish, sailed West for Asia,

discovered Americas and opened exploration for Spain

Cortes 1519, Spanish, sought riches and explored Mexico, conquered Aztec Empire, established New Spain and Mexico City

Pineda 1519, Spanish, created first map of Gulf Coast

Narvaez 1527, sailed from Spain to Florida, disastrous, most died

Cabeza de Vaca 1528, Spanish, escaped Narvaez disaster, explored Texas and Mexico, documented bison and Cibola

Niza 1540, Spanish, sought Seven Cities of Cibola

Coronado 1542, Spanish, sought Seven Cities of Cibola

De Soto & Moscoso

1542, Spanish, sought Seven Cities of Cibola, discovered petroleum in Texas, said “the land north of Mexico offered little value”

La Salle 1648, sought mouth of Mississippi River, claimed Louisiana for France, mutinied by his own men

Spanish National flag 1492

New Spain flag

Make this table“European reasons for exploration”

SPANISH FRENCH BRITISH

French Interest in the “New World”

The French wanted to:

•Set up a fur trading empire•Colonize Canada•Control Mississippi River as a trade route from Canada to France•Claim land for France by building forts•Seeking “Northwest Passage” - all-water route to Asia•Rival the Spanish

British interest in the “New World”Power – to get more

land and resources. Wealth – growing

and trading crops such as tobacco, cotton, and indigo. Timber industry.

Religion – allow religious rebels to leave England and worship freely