The Age of Contact

Spanish (and a little French-but mostly Spanish!!) Exploration

The Powers That Be (Were)

The “Big Three” countries in Europe who were competing for land were…

All three countries explored for the same reasons---

“The Three G’s”

At this time, explorers were searching for

And once they began to explore the New World, they thought they would find lots of

gold.

People also wanted glory for their country.

People also wanted to share/spread their faith. Is that really any

different today?

Spain

■ 1492, Columbus sailed for Spain in search of riches.

■ He was allowed to keep a percentage of everything he found.

■ He landed in what is currently called the Bahamas, but he intended to go sail to Asia.

■ Do you think Columbus was motivated to explore? Why?

Spain, cont.

■ Soon, Conquistadors (Spanish word for conquerors) arrived in the Americas.

■ Pineda and Cortes explore and colonize the Gulf area, including Texas and Mexico.

■ The gold and silver they obtained and brought back to Spain made other explorers and colonists eager to come.

Spain, cont.

■ Cabeza de Vaca (Spanish for “the head of the cow”) became the first European to explore the interior of Texas.

■ It was he who started the stories of the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola.

■ What might be a reason that someone would create such a legend…other than to just tell a good story? Use your “cabeza” for this one.

Spain…yep…still Spain…

■ Coronado, while searching for Cibola, ended up in what we now call Wichita, Kansas.

■ He claimed this and the land in between for Spain, and this eventually became part of Mexico.

■ After all this, the Spanish decided to establish the mission system, starting in Texas in El Paso. The first mission in Texas was called Corpus Christi de la Ysleta.

The French. Cool! At least it’s not Spain again!

■ La Salle persuaded the French government to colonize the Gulf of Mexico to help control trade.

■ He built a fort in South Texas, but the colony only lasted for about two years.

■ He and those that had survived went home.■ The French were unable to successfully colonize

Texas, but their efforts made Spain realize how important the area was.

5 Points of SUCCESS!

■ Pineda (Spain)■ Cortes (Spain)■ Cabeza de Vaca (Spain)■ Coronado (Spain)■ La Salle (France)

The End!!

Warm-Up

Which reason for exploration (3 g’s) was the most significant and why?

*Your answer must be at least 2-3 sentences minimum*