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Jan 1, 1492
Columbus's First Voyage
On 1492, Christopher Columbus went on an expedition west to try to find a shortcut to Asia. Instead, he found Central America. He set up a colony and traded with the natives. This informed everyone of North America and encouraged more exploration. -
Jan 1, 1519
Cortez's Exploration
Cortez sailed to the New World and conquered the Aztecs. He brought back 99 tons of gold, inspiring a lot more exploration. -
Jan 1, 1519
Pineda's Voyage
Pineda went on a voyage to find a water route to Asia. Instead, he mapped he gulf coast. This gave future explorers a chart to follow. -
Jan 1, 1527
De Vaca's Voyage start day
Narváez was sent, along with De Vaca, Estaban, and others, to find gold along the gulf coast. -
Jan 1, 1528
De Vaca Discovers Texas
After they were abandoned, they created rafts to try to sail to Cuba. However, a series of storms scattered the rafts. Some were scattered along the coast, and the others were lost at sea. De Vaca landed in what is now Galveston and were taken in by the Karankawas. They explored Texas for 8 years and also encountered the Coahuitecans before being found by the Spanish. -
Jan 1, 1538
Fray Marcos and Esteban's Journey
The Spanish govenrment sent Fray Marcos and Esteban to confirm stories of the Seven Cities of Gold. They eventually found it, and Esteban went in ahead of the rest. He said that he had been a medicine man for the Karankawas and asked for their food, water, and women. The native Zuni were furious, and they killed Esteban on the spot. They did not allow the other Spaniards into the city, so they simply stood on a nearby hill and looked inward. Even though there was no gold, he confirmed the rumor. -
Jan 1, 1539
Moscoso's Expedition
Originally, the leader of this expedition was De Soto, but he died. They discovered the Mississippi river. -
Jan 1, 1540
Coronado's Expedition
Coronado was sent to find the Seven Cities of Cibola. After failing to find gold in Cibola, he encountered "The Turk", who told the explorers that there was gold in Quivera. After arriving there, there was no gold, and "The Turk" was forced to dig his own grave before being strangled. He reported that there was no gold in Texas and there was no exploration there for 150 years.
