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Aug 20, 1460
DE LEON, PONCE
First European to set foot in Florida. He also established the oldest European settlement in Puerto Rico and discovered the Gulf Stream (a current in the Atlantic Ocean). Ponce de Leon was a soldier fighting Muslims in southern Spain in the early 1490's. Ponce de Leon did not return to Spain with Columbus; he stayed in Santo Domingo (now called the Dominican Republic). -
Apr 22, 1470
DE NARVAEZ, PANFILO
He helped conquer Cuba in 1511 and led a Spanish royal expedition to North America (leaving Spain in 1527). He was born in Valladolid, Spain and died on his expedition to Florida. De Narvaez was granted the land of Florida by the Emperor Charles V in 1526. He led an expedition there with 250 to 300 men, including Cabeza de Vaca. After surviving a hurricane near Cuba, his expedition landed on the west coast of Florida (near Tampa Bay) in April, 1528, claiming the land for Spain. -
Jun 28, 1474
PIZARRO, FRANCISCO
Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador who traveled through much of the Pacific coast of America along Peru. He "discovered" the Incan empire and conquered it brutally and quickly, stealing immense hoards of gold, silver, and other treasures. Pizarro landed at San Mateo Bay in 1532. After traveling through desert and snow-capped mountains, Pizarro and his men (who included Hernando de Soto) arrived at Cajamarca (in 1533), -
Jan 15, 1475
BALBOA, VASCO NUNEZ DE
He was the first European to see the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. After exploring the coast of present-day Colombia, Balboa stayed on the island of Hispaniola. -
Oct 18, 1475
AYLLON, LUCAS VAZQUEZ DE
tried to start a colony in North America in 1526. He was the first European colonizer of what is now South Carolina. -
Dec 10, 1475
E AYLLON, LUCAS VAZQUEZ
Vazquez tried to start a colony in North America in 1526. He was the first European colonizer of what is now South Carolina. His attempt to settle the coast of the Carolinas (near the mouth of the Peedee River at Winyah Bay) was unsuccessful. De Ayllón's expedition sailed from Hispaniola to South Carolina on two ships; the settlers included African slaves. The colony, called San Miguel de Guadalupe, was disrupted by a fight over leadership. During this turmoil, the slaves revolted and fled the -
Sep 11, 1485
CORTES, HERNAN
Cortes sailed with 11 ships from Cuba to the Yucatan Peninsula to look for gold, silver, and other treasures. Cortés traveled inland and "discovered" Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire. He then brutally killed the Aztec emperor Montezuma and conquered his Aztec Empire of Mexico, claiming all of Mexico for Spain in 1521. Cortés was appointed governor of the colony of New Spain, but eventually fell out of favor with the royals. -
Sep 3, 1490
CABEZA DE VACA, ALVAR NUNEZ
Treasurer to the Spanish expedition under Pánfilo de Narváez that reached what is now Tampa Bay, Florida, in 1528. Explored the Paraguay River in South America. -
Oct 10, 1492
DE PINEDA, ALONSO ALVAREZ
De Pineda sailed for the Spanish Governor of Jamaica, Francisco de Garay, who sent him to explore and chart the Gulf Coast from Florida to Mexico in 1519. Captain De Pineda and his crew were probably the first Europeans in Texas, claiming it for Spain. One of the regions he explored and mapped was the area around Corpus Christi Bay; De Pineda entered Corpus Christi Bay on the feast day of Corpus Christi, hence the name. -
Sep 28, 1499
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Cabrillo was the first European explorer of the Californian coast. In 1542, he sailed from Acapulco to southern California, claiming California for King Charles I of Spain. He died on San Miguel Island (in the Santa Barbara Channel) after a fight with Indians, from complications resulting from a broken leg. -
Sep 22, 1510
coronado, francisco vasquez de
He was the first European to explore North America's Southwest. Coronado was a governor of New Galicia, a western province of Mexico. He searched fruitlessly for treasure that was rumored to exist in northern Mexico: the fabled seven Golden Cities of Cibola. Since he did not find gold, silver, or other treasures, his expedition was branded a failure by Spanish leaders. -
Feb 11, 1517
CORDOBA, FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ DE
Slave trader who explored Mexico and Nicaragua. Petitioned the governor, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, for permission to launch an expedition in search of new lands and exploitable resources. Sailing from Cuba on a slave hunt, he discovered Yucatán in 1517. -
Jun 3, 1568
URDANETA, ANDRES DE
Andres De 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 of the original seven survived. Urdaneta discovered and plotted a path across the Pacific from the Philippines to Acapulco in the Viceroyalty of New Spain (present day Mexico). Urdaneta was one of the few survivors of Loaísa Expedition to reach the Spice Islands late in the year 1526,
