Eras and Significant Dates
Alonso Álvarez de Pineda mapped the coastline of Texas in this year.
1519
This Gulf Coast Native American tribe moved nomadically along the coast in canoes, relying on fishing and hunting.
Karankawa
This was the primary religious goal of establishing Spanish missions throughout Texas.
converting Native Americans to Catholicism and assimilating them into Spanish culture
Known as the "Father of Texas," he brought the "Old Three Hundred" Anglo families to settle in Texas.
Stephen F. Austin
The largest natural region in Texas by population, receiving the highest amount of annual rainfall and bordering the Gulf of Mexico.
Coastal Plains
This year marked the establishment of the mission San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo) and the founding of San Antonio.
1718
These nomadic Plains tribes depended almost entirely on the buffalo for food, clothing, shelter, and tools.
Comanche
Name two modern Texas cities or rivers that demonstrate Spanish cultural naming influence.
San Antonio, El Paso, Amarillo, Rio Grande, or Brazos River
Catholic priest who issued the "Grito de Dolores" in 1810, beginning the Mexican fight for independence against Spain
Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
Texas region characterized by high elevation, desert landscape, mountains, and low average annual rainfall.
Mountains and Basins region
Mexico successfully gained its independence from Spanish rule in this year.
1821
Shipwrecked on Galveston Island in 1528, this Spanish explorer survived and published a famous journal documenting Texas Native tribes.
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
Franciscan friar who established Mission San Francisco de los Tejas in East Texas in 1690 to convert the Caddo people.
Fray Damián Massanet
Document that established Mexico as a constitutional republic and merged Texas and Coahuila into a single state.
Mexican Federal Constitution of 1824
Major river forming the natural southern boundary between Texas and Mexico.
Rio Grande
This era of Texas history covers the period before European arrival, focusing on Indigenous tribes and their environments.
Natural Texas and Its People
These three motivations (often called the "Three Gs") drove early Spanish explorers to venture into Texas.
GOD, GOLD, GLORY
These Spanish military forts were constructed alongside Catholic missions to protect friars and settlers from hostile attacks.
Presidios
Name one prominent empresario besides Stephen F. Austin who established a settlement in Texas during the 1820s.
Green DeWitt (or Martín De León, Moses Austin)
An example of how Texans have modified their environment to supply water to farm crops and growing cities.
building dams/reservoirs or digging irrigation canals
This is the primary reason historians divide the past into specific eras.
to organize and analyze historical events based on shared political, economic, or social characteristics
French explorer Sieur de La Salle founded Fort St. Louis in Texas, causing Spain to react in this way.
renewing Spanish efforts to explore and colonize Texas to defend their territorial claim against France
Spanish settlement in Texas relied on state-funded missions and presidios, whereas Anglo settlement relied on this method.
the empresario land grant system for commercial farming and private family settlement
Fought in 1813, this military engagement stands as the bloodiest battle ever fought on Texas soil during Mexico's struggle for independence.
Battle of Medina
Primary physical factor influencing why major Spanish missions and Anglo colonies were situated near river valleys.
access to reliable freshwater for drinking, agriculture, and transportation