EARLY EXPLORERS OF TEXAS
Early explorers found and developed the people and the land. The first explorers notified Europe of southern America and thus Europeans started immigrating to what is modern day Texas.
Timeline
- 1492 - Columbus crosses the Atlantic Ocean on Hispaniola
- 1519 - Álvarez de Pineda maps the Texas coast
- 1528 -1535 - Cabeza de Vaca wanders and lives with Native Americans in Texas
- 1598 - Juan de Oñate founds a settlement on the upper Rio Grande
- 1682 - La Salle explores the Mississippi River
Facts
- Cabeza de Vaca was born around 1450 in the town of Jerezdelo Frontier in southern Spain.
- In 1519, Alomoso Álveraz became the first European to explore the Texas coast.
- Columbus left Spain with three small ships in August 1492.
- Until the late 1400’s, navigation tools were not good enough to cross oceans.
Important People
-
Cabeza de Vaca - met Karankawa tribe
Carronade - searched for gold
Oñate - led an expedition to settle the upper Rio Grande
La Salle - explored the mississippi
Vocabulary
Privateer - a privately owned ship outfitted with weapons
Stockade - a crude fort
Navigate - to find a way to pass over or along a body of water
Province - a district of a colony or country similar to a state
Viceroy - an official who rules in the name of the king or queen
Quote
The Karankawa are all warriors and are so astute in guarding themselves from an enemy.
La Salle
