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On the evening of August 3rd, 1492, Columbus set sail to recive the rich spices from China an India.
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Alonso Alvarez de Pineda, a Spanish explorer and map maker, was the first European to explore and map the Texas coastline. He was also the first European to ever see the Mississippi River.
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Hernan Cortes never reachedTexas, so his impact on Texan history is unknown.However, Cortes overthrew the Aztec Empire by pretending he was their god, who they had predicted coming. Cortes made his expedition regardless of his orders from the Governer of Cuba.
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Estivanico was among the the survivors of the Narvaez expidition, and he went to Mexico with Cabeza de Vaca. Friar Marcos wanted him on the expidition, and Estivanico accepted. Thier goal was to find Cibola. They resulted in having very little impacy on Texas and Estivanico getting killed by the Zuni tribe.
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Cabeza de Vaca washes up on the west end of Galveston Island and gets taken hostage by the local Native Americans.
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Narvaez wanted to conquer the lands between Florida and Mexico in honor of Spain. He was drowned by a late hurricane after deciding to leave, for promised supplies never came. Therefore, he has no impact on Texas.
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De Soto was searching for the " Seven Cities of Ciblola", as were many others before, and after him. His impact is unknown, but he was able to explore much of the southern U.S
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In search of the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado lead an expedition into the present southwestern United States and across northern Texas.
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Coronado was wanting to search for Cibola, Unfortunately, he did not suceed. Although, he did see the Grand Cayon, the Palo Duro Canyon, and Buffalo, which he had never seen before. His only impact was that he killed some Native Americans.
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Onate wanted to establish a colony on the north frontier. His expidition resulted in hime founding the colony of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Unfortunately, his only influence on Texas was that he captured, tortured, and enslaved native americans.
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Robert Cavelier, Sieur de LaSalle established Fort St. Louis at Matagorda Bay, and thus formed the basis for France's claim to Texas. Two years later, LaSalle was murdered by his own men.
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Mexican explorer Alonso de Leon reached Fort St. Louis, and found it abandoned, during an expedition planned to reestablish Spanish presence in Texas.
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Throughout the 18th century, Spain established Catholic missions in Texas, and along with the missions, the towns of San Antonio, Goliad and Nacogdoches.
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About 130-men strong, the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition crossed the Sabine from Louisiana in a rebel movement against Spanish rule in Texas.
