Explorers
Who conquered the Aztecs?
Hernan Cortes
Almost all Spanish expeditions into North America were looking for what?
Gold
Who was the explorer who mistakenly discovered the Americas for Spain while looking for a trade route to Asia?
Christopher Columbus
What had the most devastating effect on the Native Americans when Europeans began to explore and colonize?
Disease
Which city is built over the remains of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan?
Mexico City
Which explorer claimed all the land of the Mississippi for France and established Fort St. Louis in Texas?
La Salle
Which explorer is credited with mapping the Texas coastline in 1519?
Alonso Álvarez de Pineda
Who got shipwrecked in Texas, was captured by the Karankawa, became a famous healer amongst the natives, and finally made it back safely to Spain?
Cabeza de Vaca
What effect did Cortes' expedition have on Spanish exploration and colonization?
He conquered the Aztecs, which removed the biggest challenge to Spanish power in the Americas at that time. It established a base to continue exploration and expansion.
Coronado was looking for 7 what?
The 7 Lost Cities of Gold (Cibola)
What did we call Spanish soldier-explorers who sought wealth and power in the New World?
Conquistadors (Conquistadores)
How did La Salle end up in Texas?
By accident, they were trying to establish a settlement on the Mississippi River but got lost and missed it. He and his crew later shipwrecked on the Texas coast.
Who worked to reestablish the missions of East Texas, but later moved to Mission San Antonio de Valero (later known as the Alamo)?
Father Francisco Hidalgo
What was one major effect of La Salle’s expedition on Spanish interest in Texas?
La Salle’s expedition made Spain fear that France would take over Texas, so Spain increased its colonization efforts, including building missions and presidios.
Which of the 3 G's mainly motivated the establishment of Spanish missions?
God (religion), they were religious communities built to convert the natives to Catholicism and spread Spanish culture
Which explorer traveled through much of the Southwest, including the Great Plains of Texas, in search of gold?
Coronado
Why did the Catholic Church fund many expeditions and send missionaries to help lead them?
They wanted to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism, but they also wanted part of the wealth, land, and power that the New World offered.
Name at least one of the monarchs responsible for French or Spanish exploration of the New World. (One from this time period that we have discussed in this class.)
Spanish- Ferdinand and Isabella
French- Louis XIV
While missions were built for religious purposes, what other effect did they have for the Spanish in Texas?
They helped settle their northern territories, establish control of the land, and protect against French expansion into the area.
Cortes conquered the Aztecs in which year?
1521
Which explorer sailed through the Gulf of Mexico and landed in Florida, only to end up being stranded because he spent too long trying to find the source of the gold jewelry the natives were wearing?
Narvaez
Name 2 things besides armor and weaponry that helped Cortes conquer the Aztecs.
Who helped Cabeza de Vaca survive by communicating with the American Indians?
Estevanico
What was the main impact of Cabeza de Vaca's journey?
Cabeza de Vaca’s journey resulted in detailed written accounts of Texas and its native people, and it encouraged further Spanish exploration.
Compare and contrast the motives of Spanish and French explorers in Texas. How were they similar or different?
Spanish explorers were motivated by gold, God, and glory—they wanted wealth, to spread Christianity, and to gain land for Spain. French explorers, on the other hand, focused more on trade and alliances with Native Americans. Both wanted to expand their nations’ influence, but their methods and relationships with Native groups were different.