What areas of Texas did the Spanish explore?
The first Spanish missions were established in the 1680s near present-day San Angelo, El Paso and Presidio – areas that were closely tied to settlements in what is today New Mexico. In 1690, Spanish missions spread to East Texas after news surfaced of La Salle’s French settlements in the area.
Where did the Spanish exploration take place?
Spanish Explorers After Columbus Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition (in the course of which he put down a mutiny and was later killed) sailed around the tip of South America, across the Pacific to the Philippines, through the Indian Ocean and back to Europe around the southern tip of Africa between 1519 and 1522.
Which Spanish explorer landed on the coast of Texas?
conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
The Spanish conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca is shipwrecked on a low sandy island off the coast of Texas. Starving, dehydrated, and desperate, he is the first European to set foot on the soil of the future Lone Star state.
What is a reason for Spanish exploration of Texas?
The purpose of this mission was to spread Christianity to Native Americans in the area. The mission was a success, and more were promised. Cortés brings gold and silver from Mexico to Spain. Later expeditions to North America fail to bring back gold.
When did the Spanish begin to explore Texas?
Spanish exploration did not continue until the rumor of riches lured many explorers to Texas. These explorations increased Spanish knowledge of Texan geography and native people. Juan de Grivalja first explored Texas at Galveston Island in 1518.
Where was the first European settlement in Texas?
Now part of El Paso, the community is considered the oldest European settlement in Texas. In 1682, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, explored the Mississippi River to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico.
Who are the explorers that came to Texas?
Explorers that came to Texas. Hernando De Soto: On May 30, 1539 De Soto and his men went into Florida. They marched northward toward Georgia then turned west. His goal was to find gold. In his journey De Soto forced the Indians to give his men supplies.
Who was the Spanish explorer who found pearls in Texas?
In 1684, Captain Juan Domínguez de Mendoza and Fray Nicolás López led an expedition to gather samples of pearls previously found in West-Central Texas during missionary expeditions from New Mexico. They were lured by renewed rumors of the mythical kingdom of Gran Quivira.