Spanish and French Exploration

1. Spanish and French Exploration

2. Why? • Exploration of the Americas began for three main reasons: • God • Glory • Gold • Spanish rulers wanted to expand their empire by taking control of the Americas. Riches would add to their power. They also wanted to spread Christianity to the Americas.

3. Explorers • Alonso Alvarez de Pineda • First person to map the Texas coast. • Pineda’s maps were used to further Spanish explorations.

4. Panfilo de Narvaez • Dreamed of finding gold and riches. • Took 5 ships and 600 soldiers and horses. • Landed in Florida, then split up, looking for gold. The first group who went to look for gold nearly died. When they went to find the ships with the others on it, it was gone. The second group had gone back to Spain. The ones who were left were in horrible shape. The built boats, set sail, but wrecked. Only about 80 of them survived. Cabeza de Vaca was a survivor, captured by the Karankawa.

5. Cabeza de Vaca • Later on, he met up with 3 original survivors who had been held captive by the Coahuiltecan. • Estevanico. • They escaped, traveling to Mexico • In 1536, 8 years later, they made it to a group of Spanish soldiers in Mexico. • Later returned to Spain.

8. Cibola • For years, tales of a great gold-filled city spread across Spain. • A Catholic Friar named Fray Marcos de Niza chose Estevanico to lead himself and 300 Mexican Indians to Cibola. • Estevanico was killed, and Fray Marcos sent word back to Mexico City that he had found Cibola.

9. Spain sent another force of 300 soldiers and 1,000 Indians to find Cibola. • Led by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. • Found the village that Fray Marcos had seen, but it was not made of gold. It was a pueblo village made of adobe. • Coronado still sought riches. He heard of another town made of gold called “Quivira”. • He planned another expidition.

10. They traveled east into Texas, moving south and then north into p.d. Oklahoma. • First people to see buffalo. • Found “Quivira”: they found only grass huts and corn. • The stories were only told to get Coronado and his men out of the area. • Although he explored much of Texas, his expedition was deemed a failure.

11. French Exploration • At the same time Spanish conquistadors were looking for gold, France had claimed the land that is now Canada for themselves. • 1682: Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed all land around the Mississippi for France. • Named it Louisiana • Wanted to establish a settlement at the mouth of the river.

12. The La Salle expedition did not go very well—they got lost and landed at Matagorda Bay in Texas. • Quickly moved inland and built Fort St. Louis. • La Salle left to explore. • He returned five months later to find trouble. Many had died. They decided to flee to Canada. On the way, La Salle was murdered. 6 members made it. • Despite all it’s failures, the expedition gave France a claim to Texas and challenged Spain’s empire.

13. Consequences of Spanish Exploration • Columbian Exchange: • The exchange of goods between the Americas and Europe (foods, plants and animals) along with diseases between Europeans and Indians. • Horses • Spanish brought horses to Texas, which gave rise to the Plains Culture of Indians.