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BALBOA, VASCO NUNEZ DE (1501-1510)
Vasco Nunez de Balboa (1475-1519) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer. He was the first European to see the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean (in 1513) after crossing the Isthmus of Panama overland. -
CABEZA DE VACA, ALVAR NUÑEZ (1527-1529)
was a Spanish explorer who sailed to North America from Spain, leaving in 1527. He traveled from Florida to Texas on a raft, then walked from Texas to Mexico City. He also explored the Paraguay River in South America. -
DE AYLLÓN, LUCAS VÁZQUEZ (1521-1526)
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CÓRDOBA, FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ DE(1523-1526)
He was a Spanish explorer and slave trader who explored Mexico (1517) and Nicaragua (1524). -
DE LEON, PONCE (1513-1515)
Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer and soldier who was the first European to set foot in Florida. -
DE SOTO, HERNANDO (1520-1524)
Hernando De Soto was a Spanish explorer who sailed the Atlantic Ocean and was the first European to explore Florida and the southeastern US. -
DE VACA, ALVAR NUÑEZ CABEZA (1537-1540)
Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca [Cabeza de Vaca means "head of a cow"] was a Spanish explorer who sailed to North America from Spain, leaving in 1527. He traveled from Florida to Texas on a raft, then walked from Texas to Mexico City. He also explored the Paraguay River in South America. De Vaca and his fellow travelers were the first Europeans to see the bison, or American buffalo. -
DE URDANETA, ANDRES (1522-1536)
Andres de Urdaneta was a Spanish explorer who accompanied Garcia Jofre de Loaysa on the second sailing expedition around the world when he was 17 years old. On this 1525 trip, only one ship -
CORONADO, FRANCISCO (1540-1542)
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (1510-1554) was a Spanish ruler, explorer and conquistador. He was the first European to explore North America's Southwest. -
DE VACA, ALVAR NUÑEZ CABEZA (1537-1540)
In 1532 he and the other three surviving members of his original party set out for Mexico, where they hoped to connect with other representatives of the Spanish empire. -
CORONADO, FRANCISCO (1540-1542)
The expedition team of Francisco Vázquez de Coronado is credited with discovery of the Grand Canyon and several other famous landmarks in the American Southwest while searching for the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola—which they never found.
