Download Spanish Exploration

Spanish Exploration
A look into the world of
Exploration!
Christopher Columbus
• 1492, Columbus sails the ocean blue
• Spain approves his voyage to discover a
westward route to Asia
• He and his crew land in Hispanola (The
Bahamas)
• Called Native Americans “Indios” meaning
Indians
Spain establishes colonies
• Conquistadors were searching for a wealthy
land
• Reasons for exploration
– Wealth (Gold)
– land = power (Glory)
– Spread the Christian faith (God)
• 1519, Pineda and his crew were the first
Europeans to explore the Texas coastline
• Threatened by Hernando Cortes
– establishes the city of Tampico
Hernando Cortes
• Searching for a rumored wealthy civilization
• He founded the city of Veracruz
• Aztec Empire
– Capitol – Tenochtitlan
– Emperor Montezuma believed Cortes to be the
legendary God, Quetzalcoatl
• Battles
– Aztecs were trying to be friendly; Cortes not after
friendship
– Cortes’ men took over the Aztec gold and silver
– Named the new capitol, Mexico City
Panfilo de Narvaez
• Was granted the land of Florida
• Expedition
– 400 men and 82 horses were led ashore into present day Florida
• Plan
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travel overland and meet his ships to get more supplies
when they reached the meeting place, no ships
Built 5 rafts to sail to Mexico
November 1528, a hurricane hits
• Narvaez drowned
• 80 survivors went ashore in Galveston
• First known Europeans to set foot in Texas
– Karanakawas felt bad for them; gave them food
– the Karankawas began dying of small pox and influenza
Cabeza de Vaca
• De Vaca was a survivor of the Narvaez Expedition
• Estavanico – An African who also survived
• Karankawa teachings
– De Vaca learned herbal remedies for the sick
– began to perform surgeries
– this knowledge helped keep peace between Europeans and
Natives
• First Europeans to explore the interior of Texas
• Seven Cities of Gold
– City of Cibola – an entire city made of gold
– Estavanico was sent to find this city
– He sent back a large white cross – meant that they had seen the
gold
– Estavanico was killed by the Zuni natives in Arizona
– There was no city of gold
• saw the shiny roofs of the adobe homes when the sun hit them just
right
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
• 1540 – went to search for the 7 Cities of
Cibola
• Traveled west to present day New Mexico
• Were the first Europeans to see the Grand
Canyon!
• Searched for a city called “Quivira”
• First encounter of the buffalo. Thought to have
been a type of cow.
• Failed mission: never found riches or wealth.
Hernando de Soto
• 1539 – left Spain to search for the Cities of Cibola
• Explored parts of present day:
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Georgia
North & South Carolina
Tennessee
Alabama
Mississippi
Arkansas
1541 – reached Mississippi River!
1542 – ran out of supplies and headed back home
De Soto became ill and died
1543 – only 311 of the original 600 made it back to Spain
alive.
• First major expedition to explore the interior of North
America
French Exploration
Rene-Robert LaSalle
• Reached the mouth of the Mississippi on
April 9, 1682.
• Named the territory “La Louisiane” or
Louisiana, in honor of the french King.
• Tried to establish a colony on the
Texas/Louisiana border.
– Fort St. Louis
• Colony failed due to lack of supplies and drought
• LaSalle was killed by his own men.