Exploration of the Southwest

Exploration of Southwest: Identify the early Spanish

explorers in the lands that are now the states of Texas, New

Mexico, Arizona, and California. Describe the contributions each of the

explorers made.

Introduction…

Hi! I’m Miss Holly.

Welcome to Level 5 Social Studies!

Today you will learn about the Spanish explorers of the American Southwest.

Spanish explorers

• The early Spanish explorers in the lands that are now the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California were:

–Alvar Cabeza de Vaca

–Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

–Garcia Lopez de Cardenas

–Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo

• The first Spanish explorer of the Southwest we will discuss is Alvar Cabeza de Vaca.

• Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca was born around 1490 and died around 1557.

• He was a Spanish explorer who sailed to North America from Spain, leaving in 1527.

• Cabeza de Vaca means “cow head” in Spanish.

• He traveled from Florida to Texas on a raft, then walked from Texas to Mexico City!

• De Vaca and his fellow travelers were the first Europeans to see the bison, or American buffalo.

• After serving as a Mexican territorial governor, Cabeza de Vaca returned to Spain in 1537.

• He published an account of his travels, writing about the horrible treatment of Indians by the Spanish.

• The next Spanish explorer we will discuss is Francisco Vasquez de Coronado.

• He searched fruitlessly for treasure that was rumored to exist in northern Mexico: the fabled seven Golden Cities of Cibola.

• Fruitlessly means without anything to show for it. So if he searched fruitlessly for treasure – he found no treasure.

• With a group of hundreds of Spaniards and enslaved natives,

he traveled through what is now northern Mexico and the southwestern USA (including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas).

His expedition found only Zuñi, Hopi, and Pueblos, Native Americans who refused Coronado when he demanded that they convert to Christianity.

• Coronado killed many Native Americans during this expedition.

Since he did not find gold, silver, or other treasures, his expedition was branded a failure by Spanish leaders.

The next Spanish explorer of the Southwest we will discuss is García López de Cárdenas.

García López de Cárdenas was a member of the 1540 expedition of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado.

• He was selected to lead a party from Cibola (the Zuñi country of New Mexico) to find a river of which the Hopi had spoken.

After 20 days' march he became the first white man to see the Grand Canyon.

The final Spanish explorer of the Southwest we will discuss is Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo.

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo led the first European expedition to explore what is now the west coast of the United States. 

Cabrillo departed from the port of Navidad on June 27, 1542.  

Three months later he arrived at "a very good enclosed port," which is known today as San Diego Bay.

Cabrillo later died during the expedition, but his crew pushed on, possibly as far north as Oregon, before terrible winter storms forced them to back to Mexico.

• Let’s watch a short video clip of the Cabrillo national monument. You’ll hear a lot of wind but it’s very pretty and the speaker has some interesting things to tell us about Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDvQ6zW

75QM– stop video at 1:30

In conclusion…

Today we’ve talked about four Spanish explorers who were responsible for exploring much of the U.S. Southwest.

Extension activities…

…..Don’t forget!

•First, write a summary of today’s presentation. Think of at least three things you learned.

•Then, read the passage, Grand Canyon, and answer the five questions. Don’t peak at the answers! See how you do first!

See you next time!

Good bye.

References

• García López de Cárdenas. (2012). In Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-CardenasGL.html

• National Park Service. (2012). Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/cabr/historyculture/juan-rodriguez-cabrillo.htm