European Exploration:Spanish Conquistadors &

a French Explorer

3 Reasons for Exploration

_____________ European countries wanted to increase their global wealth.

_____________ Catholic church supported expeditions in hopes of converting natives to Christianity _____________ Expeditions led by Conquistadors looking for wealth & fame.

Gold

God

Glory

3 G’s

Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, is costly because more than 225,000 stigmas must be hand picked to produce one pound

CINNAMON

NUTMEG

SAFFRON

PEPPER

THE

REASON

East Asian Spices/Silk

1 pound =

SALT COST

2 pounds of GOLD!

Western Europe wanted an all-water route to Asia

Routes over land were dangerous & costly

33 days

Important Dates

• Columbus sailed for Spanish King & Queen with 3 ships (Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria.

• Reaches the Bahamas (near North America). Lands at

San Salvador.

• Returned to the Americas 3 times

Are we

there

yet!

1492

Columbus

AztecsBiggest tribe and

most feared in Central America

Had tons of

gold and

riches

Spanish determined to conquer

them

Practiced brutal

sacrifices to gods

Spanish Advantages• Guns, Germs, & Steel -

Advanced technology

Spanish Advantages: Disease

The Spanish had different immune systems from the American Indians. The “common cold” could infect one person with the flu and all would be affected!

Spanish Advantages

Persuaded thousands of other Native Americans that hated Aztec rule to join the Spanish as allies.

Indian Allies500 Conquistadors

Important DatesBy 1521

• Aztecs are conquered & all their gold is taken by the Spanish conquistadors

Hernan Cortes• Cortes eventually seizes the Aztec capital,

Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico city). • Becomes a base for exploration called New Spain.• His success inspires other Spaniards to explore

North America.

Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda• 1519- Explored & created the 1st map of the

Gulf Coast region (including the Texas coast).1st Europeans to see Texas coast

Panfilo de Narvaez• Sent on an expedition to conquer land between Florida &

Mexico in 1527.• Ships that were supposed to pick them up never did.• Stranded, they built small boats.• Go through a hurricane and get shipwrecked.

Drowned

Cabeza de Vaca• Shipwrecked near Galveston

– (part of Narvaez expedition)

• Survived with Karankawa 8 yrs.

Karankawa give supplies to the men- but they are forced to work for the Karankawa

Location of Galveston Island; the castaways referred to as "Isla del Malhado," or Island of Misfortune.

Indians following the Spaniards brought a sense of horror to the group. According to Cabeza de Vaca, "Our fear made them appear as giants."

Cabeza de Vaca described native dwellings as portable structures made of mats placed on four arches. When it was time to move to the next camp, the Indians would remove the mats and carry them on their backs.

Removed an arrowhead from an Indians chest & sewed up the wounds= great fame as a healer

Cabeza de Vaca• Eventually found his way back to

Mexico City & then went back to Spain.• Wrote a book describing plants &

animals (buffalo) in Texas.

Fray Marcos & Estevanico• Estevanico (Esteban) 1st African to explore Texas.• Fray Marcos- Catholic friar• Sent reports back that encouraged conquistadors to

continue searching for Cibola.

Estevanico Killed

by Zuni Indians

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado• Sent on an expedition to find Cibola- 7 cities

that were rich in gold, silver, & gems.• Searched for 5 months going through the

Texas Panhandle• Cibola turned out to be an adobe village.• Didn’t want to go back empty handed =

continued to search but he found no gold.

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado• Explored the Texas

panhandle. Searching for Quivera.

1st European to see Grand Canyon (Arizona)

Rene-Robert Cavalier Sieur de La Salle• Explored the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico

& claimed Louisiana for France.

Rene-Robert Cavalier Sieur de La SalleLa Salle’s settlement – Fort St. Louis near Matagorda Bay.

Spanish now had to take action to make sure the French didn’t

take over their claim to Texas.

Results of European Exploration• Columbian Exchange-

Transfer of plants, animals, & diseases

Results of European Exploration

Diseases: Small pox & measles

- (wild offspring of horses) - are first

brought to New World by the Spanish.

Indians get horses trading/raiding and

become better hunters & fighters.

Mustangs

Different fruits

Cattle

Spanish pronunciation of the Caddo Indian word Teyshas. The word = “friend,” &

generally referred to the allied tribes of their confederacy.

TEXAS

In Spanish, the sh sound is usually represented by j, h, or x = became -

Americans called it…