Chapter 5 Lesson 1 The Spanish Explore Texas

• Europeans were looking for a new trade route to India and Asia in the 1400s.

• Traveling and navigating was sometimes inaccurate.

• Bartolomeu Dias sailed around the west coast of Africa, indicating a possible sea route to Asia.

• Christopher Columbus suggested sailing west.

• On October 12, 1492, Columbus landed on a small island in the Caribbean sea and claimed it for Spain.

• He was funded by Spain, although he was Italian.

• Therefore, all land and resources he discovered belonged to Spain.

• Spain conquered land using conquistadores in the Caribbean, most of South America, all of Central America (including Mexico) and parts of southern U.S.

• The used their advanced technology in weapons to do so.

• ​Gold, God, Glory

• Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec empire in 1519 in what is present-day Mexico.

• Tenochtitlan became "New Spain," the Spanish empire in the Americas. Mexico City became the capital.

• The Spanish were a Roman Catholic nation and wanted to convert natives.

• They built missions that were often the first settlement in the area.

San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo

• Alvarez de Pineda was the first European to explore the TEXAS coast.

• He studied the coast from Florida to Texas, reporting his findings to the governor of Jamaica.

• He returned to Mexico and died in 1520 at the hands of unhappy Native Americans.

• Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca joined conquistador Panfilo de Narvaez in 1527, and they became the first to enter the Texas area.

• A storm forced them to Malhado when trying to conquer the area between Florida and Mexico.

• They received help for the Karankawa tribes, but many still died.

• Cabeza de Vaca survived and established himself a trader nearby.

• In 1535 he traveled toward Mexico, possibly through some of Texas, to Culican, Mexico.

• Along the way he describes many adventures of riches and bison and suggests sending an expedition to search for riches and gold.

• His journey through the area became the Age of Contact.

​Spanish Exploration

​-Europeans search for sea routes to Asia

​-Spanish come to the Americas

-Conquistadores explore Texas

-All leads to the Age of Contact and encourages​ others to explore Texas

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Some text here about the topic of discussion