Spain and the New World
In 1492, this explorer landed on an island in the Caribbean Sea, and European nations such as Spain found out that there was a 'new world.'
Christopher Columbus
In 1542, the Spanish governor of New Spain sent this explorer north with 3 ships. His assignment was to explore the coast north of Baja California, towards Alta, or upper California.
Juan Cabrillo
For the next few decades, Spain did NOT send any more explorers to Alta CA. But then Spain took control of the ______________ Islands, on the other side of the Pacific.
Philippean
The Spanish realized that the best way to sail from the Philippines to the Americas was to follow _______.
ocean currents
strong winds and ocean currents, deserts and mountains, land the explorers had seen from coast did not appear to contain great riches
In 1502, 12 years after Columbus' arrival, another Spanish explorer came to the Americas. This explorer landed in Mexico, and like other explorers of the time, he wanted to take control of the land for Spain.
Hernan Cortes
Cabrillo wanted to search for route linking the Atlantic Ocean to this ocean.
Pacific Ocean
Soon, Spanish __________, large sailing ships, were carrying treasure from the Philippines to Mexico.
galleons
Ocean currents carried treasure ships west from the Philippines to the coast of Alta CA. They could then sail south to __________. The ships that traveled this route were called the Manila Galleons.
Mexico
By the mid 1700s, however, other nations became interested in CA! In 1732, the ruler of Russia gave Vitus _____________ command of the Great Northern Expedition.
Bering
Hernan Cortes expected to find this precious mineral.
gold
Cabrillo's expedition (3 ships and approximately 200 men), landed here a little more than 100 days after they left Mexico.
present day San Diego Bay
The English pirate Francis Drake decided to __________ these treasure ships.
attack
In 1595, explorer Sebastian Cermeno sailed from the Philippines to CA to find good ports. In November 1595, Cermeno sailed into what is now called Drake's Bay, near what is now ________________.
San Francisco Bay
The Great Norther Expedition explored the Pacific Ocean far north of CA, near what is now Alaska. Bering died of illness after his ship wrecked. However, survivors reported that ___ trading WOULD be possible with North America.
fur
Hernan Cortes believed he could find a NEW trade route from Europe to this continent that would make trade easier.
Asia
Cabrillo's ships continued north to _____________ (HINT: Think sea otters)! Along the way, strong winds and storms forced them out sea. Cabrillo and his men stopped at islands where they met many CA Indians, such as the Chumash people.
Monterey Bay
Drake planned to c_____________________, or travel completely around the world. Along the way, Drake planned to steal Spanish treasure. He would also look for a faster route between Europe and Asia.
Before Cermeno could leave the CA coast, his ship was wrecked. But Spanish officials in Mexico wanted to try once more to find a safe port. In May 1602, several ships left Mexico for Alta CA under the command of ______________.
Sebastian Vizcaino
The Bering Strait
Hernan Cortes conquered Mexico. Then in the 1530s, Cortes began to send explorers to what the Spanish soon called California (Baja CA). Cortes couldn't not establish a settlement there for these reasons.
dry, rocky land very unwelcoming
sea
By June 1579, Drake fleet of 5 ships was now down to 1 ship called the 'Golden Hinde.' It was bursting with treasure! He pulled into a quiet bay (now Point Reyes in northern CA) and claimed the land for Queen Elizabeth who ruled _________ at the time.
England
By wintertime, Vizcaino explored the CA coast as far north as Mendocino. He visited and named the Bay of ______________ and the bay at Monterey.
San Diego
In 1778, British explorer Captain James ____________ mapped the west coast of North America NORTH of California.
James