Era of European Exploration1500-1600

“God, Gold, Glory”God- spread Christianity

Gold-find gold for the country

Glory- receive recognition for exploration in New World

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.

King Ferdinand and

Queen Isabella

of Spain

Christopher

Columbus

•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.

“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.

• 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

their fortunes in America.

COLUMBUS’S FOUR VOYAGES

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”

• CoColumbus’s voyages led to further European

exploration and colonization, forever

changing the Americas.

• 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.

• 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.

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

• Cortes conquered the

Aztecs easily because

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

Hernando

Cortes

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!

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

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

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

•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.

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.

•

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.

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

• 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.

Spain Establishes Missions

anderson.mine.nu/.../ 2000texastrip.htm

• The French wanted to compete

with Spain’s quest for riches.

• They couldn’t get them without

claiming the land.

French Ambitions(France and Spain are European rivals)

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).

• 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.

So, off he went.

• With 4 ships, 300 colonists, 100

soldiers, and supplies.

The problem was…

• One ship was captured by

buccaneers (pirates).

• One ship rebelled and

returned to France with supplies.

• One ship sank.

Also…

• The maps that LaSalle used were correct concerning latitude, but entirely wrong concerning longitude.

• The longitude was off by 7o.

• 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?

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.

FRENCH AND SPANISH

CLAIMS ON NORTH AMERICA, 1682–1688

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.

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!!!!!

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.

Consequences

for the Native

Americans

• 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.

www.rangerdj.com/ clipart/indian/indian.jpg

Spain’s claims on Texas lands

prompted France to establish a

colony of its own. Although La

Salle’s Texas colony did not

survive, France’s

presence renewed

Spain’s interest in

settling Texas.

The French Explore TexasColumbus came to the New

World looking for gold and a new

trade route to Asia. Although he

found neither, his four voyages

inspired others to seek their

fortunes in the Americas.

Europe Eyes the

Americas

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.

Spanish Explorers

Come to Texas

European ExploresColumbus?

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

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

Texas1542 De Soto–Moscoso expedition reaches

East

Texas1610 Juan de Oñate establishes Santa Fe

1682 Spaniards establish the first Texas

mission, Corpus Christi de la

Ysleta1685 La Salle establishes Fort St. Louis