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Aug 3, 1492
Columbus' First Voyage
He was looking for a faster route by going west, instead of east, to trade goods with India, at a more frequent rate.
Instead of finding India, he landed on an island, that is now known as the Bahamas, and met some Native Americans. Since he thought he was in India, he called these Native Americans "Indians". He found the New World, and if he never found it, then there wouldn't be a United States, and none of these explorers would have made history. -
Feb 21, 1519
Cortes' Voyage
Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire, and he conquered Montezuma, the Aztec emperor. This is important because if Cortes never conquered them, they could have taken control of the Southern United States, and we wouldn't be here now. If the Spanish never came, then the Aztecs could be ruling the Americas right now. -
Jun 2, 1519
Pineda's Voyage
He was sent from the Spanish government in hopes that Pineda could explore the Gulf to the Orient to find a water passage. While he was exploring, he met Cortes, the feared conqueror of the Aztec empire. This meeting resulted in Pineda losing an eye. This expedition was important, because it encouraged further exploration along the Gulf coast, it led to colonization by Spaniards and other Europeans. And if this never happened, then Texas probably wouldn't have been discovered, same with Gulf. -
Apr 1, 1528
De Vaca Voyage Part 1
De Vaca's leader for this Spanish expedition was Narvaez. The purpose of this expedition was to find gold in Florida. -
Nov 6, 1528
De Vaca Discovers Texas
De Vaca crash landed on Galveston Island, he called it Malhada (misfortune). De Vaca was in Texas for 9 years, 1528-1537. He met the Karankawas, he became a medicine man, this is how he lived so long being around the Native Americans. He also met the Coahuiltecans, and the Jumano tribes. -
May 25, 1539
Moscoso' Expedition
His leader was De Soto. De Soto died at the Mississippi River. Moscoso and De Soto did not actually discover the Mississippi River, even though a lot of sources ay that they did. -
Dec 31, 1539
Fray Marcos and Estevan Journey
The purpose of their expedition was to evaluate the land to the north. They had a purpose to find the seven cities of gold, and if they didn't find the golden cities, then they would be failures. It is said that Estevan got murdered by Native Americans. Fray Marcos reported that he actually saw one of the cities of gold. -
Jan 1, 1540
Coronado's Expedition
Coronado searched for Quivera, and Cibola, the city that Fray Marcos and Esteban "apparently" saw. His guide for the second part was the Turk. Coronado makes the Turk dig his own grave, and then Coronado strangles the Turk. Coronado discovers Texas, the Palo Duro canyon, Arizona, and the Grand Canyon. The importance of his journey, is that he sends out a message that Texas has NOTHING that the Spanish require in any way.
