THE EXPLORERS

NOTES

KING FERDINAND AND QUEEN ISABELLA• Christopher Columbus– Wanted to find route to China

and Asia• Trade/fortune

• King and Queen financed trip– Queen thought trip could

spread Catholicism

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS SAILS

• August 3, 1492– Sails to the Americas– Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria

BAHAMAS• Land in Bahamas, think they are in the Indies

in Southeast Asia– Named new land San Salvador, for the Holy Savior– Named natives indios

FIRST COLONY

• Wanted to colonize• First colony: Santo Domingo on Hispaniola

NO SUPPORT• The King and Queen withdraw

support– Rumored to have been torturing

and enslaving natives– He never found a passage to Asia

CONQUISTADORES• Spanish explorers

looking for riches want to conquer the continent

PIÑEDA• 1519– Spanish explorer Pineda

makes first map of Texas coastline

Hernan Cortes

• Cortes explores continent– Searching for riches

Emperor Moctezuma

• Moctezuma thinks Cortes is a god• Cortes takes advantage – Fighting breaks out– Spanish take over Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan

• Changed name of city to Mexico City

Panifilo de Narvaez

• Narvaez was granted Florida• Could colonize these lands to

Mexico• Explored/stranded• Died in hurricane on makeshift

rafts

Survivors

• Land in Galveston Bay• Encounter Karankawas• Diseases/conditions-

many die explorers and Natives

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca

• 2nd in Command – Narvaez expedition

• Estavanico – First African in Texas

• With Natives – 6 years• Traveled to Mexico –

18 months

Seven Cities of Cibola

• Cabeza de Vaca– Told officials of Cibola

• Estavenico and Friar Niza sent to find city

• Estavenico killed• Niza – rooftops of gold

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

• Coronado searches for cities of gold– Doesn’t find them– Met El Turco in Tiguex– El Turco leads to Quivira• Supposed to have riches• None• El Turco killed

Hernando de Soto

• De Soto leaves from Spain 1539• Searches for Cibola– Explores Florida & many southern

states– No riches– Biggest southern exploration

Spain Establishes Missions

• Spanish begin to establish cities and Missions– Other competition– First city – Santa Fe 1610– In Texas – Mission of

Corpus Christi de la Ysleta 1682

La Salle

• La Salle travels the Mississippi River– At mouth of river April 9, 1682– Named land La Louisiane

(Louisiana) after King Louis XIV

Colony

• La Salle asks the King for funding to establish colony

• Colony at mouth of river – strategic– Keep track of Spanish– Trade– Good soil – crops– missionaries

La Salle faces obstacles

• La Salle’s ships raided by bucaneers– Colonists wanted to go home

• Past the mouth of Mississippi

Galveston Bay-Matagorda Bay

• land in Galveston bay – go on to Matagorda Bay– Lose a ship and supplies from it

Karankawas

• French encounter Karankawas– Friendly– They have French supplies from shipwreck– French try to battle natives to get supplies back– Become hostile – they receive no help acclimating

La Salle looks for a way home

• Tries to find Mississippi by land – many die in these attempts

• Finally decides to go home– He is shot on this voyage

• Colony is a failure– Everyone (adults) killed– 6 children - only survivors

Explorers Timeline1492 - Columbus

reaches the Americas 1519 – Alvarez de Pineda

explores Gulf Coast of Texas

1537 - Cabeza de VacaReports on Texas

1541 – Coronado leads expedition into Texas1542 – De Soto-Moscoso

expedition reaches East Texas 1610 – Juan do Onate

establishes Santa Fe1682 – Spaniards established

the first mission, Corpus Christi de la Ysleta 1685 – La Salle established

Fort St. Louis