Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492. Columbus—and the Spanish soldiers who explored after him—claimed the Americas for Spain. The conquistadores sought riches and power for themselves and wealth and glory for Spain. Spanish friars established religious settlements called missions in New Spain.
Álvarez de Pineda and Cabeza de Vaca In 1519 Alonso Álvarez de Pineda became the first European to explore the Texas coast. Although he did not go into the interior, Álvarez de Pineda wrote enthusiastically about the new land. In 1528 a failed expedition carrying Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca ran aground near present-day Galveston. The survivors were the first Europeans to enter what is now Texas. The Karankawas, who lived on the coast, were kind and generous to their cold and starving visitors. Cabeza de Vaca and Estevanico, who was the first known black man to enter Texas, spent six years among the Native Americans and learned much about the geography of the area. In 1536 Cabeza de Vaca and his companions reached Mexico.
Coronado Cabeza de Vaca passed on tales he had heard about lands rich with copper, emeralds, and turquoise. Inspired by visions of gold and glory, would-be conquistadores throughout New Spain volunteered to go to Texas. Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led an expedition. Instead of gold, however, the expedition found only mud, stone, and angry warriors. Coronado decided to stay and explore. He and his troops met a Native American whom they called the Turk, who told them about a fabulous place called Quivira. The trek to Quivira brought Coronado's expedition to the plains of Texas. Coronado claimed the entire Wichita country for the King of Spain, but Spanish officials made few attempts to build settlements in Texas.
La Salle The leader of the French quest for an empire in Texas was René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. In 1682 La Salle led the first European expedition that navigated the Mississippi River south to the Gulf of Mexico. When he later returned to the area, his expedition landed along the coast of Texas. La Salle and the colonists built Fort St. Louis, and France had a claim to Texas. Spanish officials, fearing a French presence in Texas, decided the time had come to settle the region.
