Spanish Exploration

Christopher Sets Sail

Aug 3, 1492

Columbus set sail at this very date. His goal was to find a shortcut from Europe to Asia. He explored the Carribbean Islands, which he called India, his supposed-to-be destination. He started Spanish exploration in North America. He found the New World.

Cortes Leads A Crew (Only Year is Exact)

Jan 1, 1519

Cortez traveled to Mexico on the date of 1519. He conquered the Aztecs, found a bunch of gold (6 million tons), and gave people interest to travel to the New World.

Pineda

Jan 1, 1519

Pineda was an explorer who mapped the southeast area of the United States. He traveled the coast of Florida to Texas. He was trying to find a route to the Pcific.He left behind a map that Coronado will later explore.

De Vaca and Estaban

Jan 1, 1528

De Vaca and Estaban, the slave, were not conquistadors so they viewed indians in a different way. De Vaca's goal was to help Narvez, their leader, find gold. They were the first to travel and write about in Texas. He met with the Karankawa, Couhiltecan, and Jumano tribes. De Vaca reported that there were seven cities of gold, and therefore, people began to want to go to Texas.

Frar Marcos' Expedition

Jan 1, 1539

Frar Marcos' goal was to study the land above mexico. He traveled through New Mexico and Texas. He inspired Corlando to find the gold cities by lying that he found the 7 cities of gold.

De Soto and Moscoso

Nov 1, 1539

De Soto and Moscoso's goal was to search for gold. De Soto discovered the Mississippi River, the place where he was thrown into. They explored the region of Florida to Texas. He hated Texas. De Soto was the leader.

Coronado's Expedition

Sep 1, 1540

Corlando's job was to find the seven cities of gold. He explored the panhandle of Texas and Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma. He reported that Texas was horrible, which stopped explorations for 150 years.