Spanish Exploration

Columbus' First Voyage

Aug 3, 1492

-Columbuus wanted to find a shorter/Western route to and get riches from China and Asia/India.
-Columbus discovered the new world (North and South America), gold, other goods, and Native Americans.
-This is impotant because he was the person who got people interested in the New World; his discoverey led to the exploration and colonization of the New World.

Pineda's Voyage

Jan 1, 1519

-Pineda mapped the coast from Florida to Texas.
-This is important because his map led to others exploring the gulf coast.

Cortes Voyage

Nov 18, 1519

-Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire. They were located in modern day Mexico City, Mexico.
-Cortes found and brought back TONS of gold.
-All of this is important because if he hadn't conquered the Aztecs they might still be here today and the world would probably be a lot more dangerous. If Cortes hadn't found all of the gold, Texas might not have been explored like it was.

DeVaca's First Voyage

Jan 1, 1528

-His original leader was Narvez.
-The purpose of the expedition was to search for gold inside Florida to Texas.

DeVaca Discovers Texas

Nov 6, 1528

-When he and his crew realized they were stuck on Florida, they decided to try to sail back to Cuba. None of them had sailing skills, so they ended up in Galveston.
-He and his crew were in Texas for eight years.
In those eight years, they met the Karankawas, the Jumanos, and the Coahuiltecans.

Fray Marcus and Esteban Journey

Jan 1, 1539

-The purpose was to study the land to the north.
-Esteban was killed by the Indians because he tried to pretend to be a medicine man.
-Fray Marcus reported that he saw a city, bigger than New Mexico, that was sparkling with gold.

Moscoso' Expedition

Jan 1, 1539

-The leader was De Soto.
-De Soto died at the Mississippi river, so Moscoso became the leader.
-They didn't discover anything, but they did run into the Caddos and explore Florida to Texas.
-They told their leaders not to worry about Texas because nothing was there; that led to no exploration in Texas for a long time.

Coronado's Expedition

Jan 1, 1540

-The two cities he searched for were Quivira and Cibola.
-The guide for the second part (Quivira), was an Indian they nicknamed The Turk.
-Coronado killed the Turk because he lied about Quivira being full of gold.
-He discovered the Grand Canyon and Palo Duro Canyon.
-The importance of his journey was that he also said Texas wasn't worth exploring and that stopped exploration there for over 150 years.