NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
Early Explorers of Texas
Lesson 2: The Quest for Gold and Glory
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
What are the characteristics of a leader?
Terms to Know
viceroy an official who rules in the name of the king or queen
province a district of a colony or country; similar to a state
occupy to inhabit or live in
terminate to end
Where in the World? Early Explorers of Texas
Gulf of Mexico
M E X I CO
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72
Reading Essentials and Study Guide
C
Cabeza
de Vaca, 1528–1536
Coronado, 1540–1542
C
Oñate, 1598
O
Present-day boundaries shown
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Texas
NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
Early Explorers of Texas
Lesson 2: The Quest for Gold and Glory, continued
Coronado Explores the Plains
Guiding Question What drove the Spanish to send Coronado to
explore parts of what is now the United States?
The ruling official in New Spain was Antonio de Mendoza. He was
the viceroy, or the official who rules in the king's or queen’s name.
Viceroy Mendoza listened to Cabeza de Vaca’s stories about riches
north of Mexico. This was not the first time he had heard tales
about mysterious, wealthy lands to the north. Many popular legends
told of seven cities containing amazing treasures. One of those cities
was called Cíbola.
Mendoza put together an expedition to find out if there was
any truth to these stories. He chose Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
to lead it. Coronado was a young noble. He had been named
governor of a province of New Spain. A province is a district of a
colony or a country.
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
The expedition was made up of a group of more than 300 soldiers
and several hundred Native Americans. They would travel some
1,250 miles (2,000 km). Coronado brought sheep and cattle to
supply food on the long journey.
In July 1540, after five months, Coronado’s group reached a
Zuni settlement that he thought was Cíbola. The Zuni were a
Puebloan people, living in what is now western New Mexico and
eastern Arizona. Instead of a golden city, Coronado’s group found
a village of mud and stone. The Zuni fought to defend their
village. In the fighting, Coronado was wounded.
Coronado was sure that he would be able to find treasure
somewhere in the vast land. He sent small parties out in different
directions to explore. One group saw the Grand Canyon, but none
found any gold.
The group led by Coronado went east. They met a Pawnee
whom they called the Turk. He told them of a place on the Great
Plains called Quivira (kee•VEE•rah) that was said to be filled with
treasure. In the spring of 1541, Coronado headed east with the
Turk to find Quivira.
Identifying
Cause and Effect
1. What caused Mendoza
to send an expedition
to the north of Mexico?
Marking the
Text
2. Circle the name of the
man chosen to lead the
expedition to Cíbola.
Underline who was in
the expedition.
Defining
3. What is a province?
Sequencing
4. Where did Coronado
go after he met the
Pawnee he called the
Turk? Why?
The Turk guided Coronado’s group to the Great Plains in
present-day Texas and Oklahoma. The Wichita lived in, or
occupied, this area. Coronado’s men saw the magnificent Palo Duro
Canyon, but they kept marching.
Reading Essentials and Study Guide 73
NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
Early Explorers of Texas
Lesson 2: The Quest for Gold and Glory, continued
Drawing
Conclusions
5. Why do you think
Coronado had the Turk
put to death?
They finally reached what they thought should be Quivira, near
what is today Wichita, Kansas. Instead of a wonderful city of treasures,
however, Coronado found a simple Native American settlement.
Angry, he had the Turk put to death.
Coronado claimed the entire Wichita country for Spain. Then he
and his expedition began the long return journey. They finally
reached Mexico in 1542.
Coronado sent a report to the Spanish king saying that Texas’s
soil would be good for farming. The disappointed explorer also
reported that there was no gold to be found in the region.
Reading
Progress Check
6. Why did Coronado
find his expedition
disappointing?
Marking the
Text
Explaining
8. How did the city of El
Paso get its name?
Guiding Question How did Moscoso’s and Oñate’s explorations
affect Native Americans living in what is now Texas?
In the 1500s, two other Spanish expeditions reached what is now
Texas. One was led by Luis de Moscoso. It arrived in Texas by
accident. The other was led by Juan de Oñate. This expedition was
part of a major effort by Spain to colonize lands north of Mexico.
Moscoso had been exploring with a group led by Hernando
de Soto. They landed on the Florida Gulf Coast in 1539. From
there, De Soto’s group explored much of today’s southeastern
United States. After two years of travel, the group became the
first Europeans to reach the Mississippi River.
After De Soto died in 1542, Moscoso took charge. He led the
group down the Mississippi River. They then turned west, hoping
to return to New Spain using a land route. Their exact route is not
known, but some historians think that they reached Nacogdoches
(na•kuh•DOH•chez). Then they went farther along the Old San
Antonio Road to the Guadalupe River. At that point, low food
supplies forced them to terminate, or end, their explorations.
Eventually they returned to the Mississippi River, built boats, and
sailed back to Mexico.
In 1581 the first Spanish explorers reached the area where El Paso
is today. The Rio Grande creates a pass through two mountain
ranges there. Because of this, the Spanish named the place El Paso
del Norte. This means “the Northern Pass.” Later, the name was
shortened to “El Paso.”
74 Reading Essentials and Study Guide
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
7. Highlight the text that
describes where De
Soto’s and Moscoso’s
groups explored.
Other Spanish Explorations
NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
Early Explorers of Texas
Lesson 2: The Quest for Gold and Glory, continued
In 1598 Don Juan de Oñate led a huge expedition. Its goal was
to start settlements on the upper Rio Grande. With 600 people,
83 wagons, and 7,000 animals, the party formed a train four miles
(6.4 km) long. After a long, terrible desert crossing, the expedition
reached El Paso del Norte. There Oñate celebrated their successful
journey and claimed the entire Rio Grande Valley for Spain.
Oñate then marched his party up the Rio Grande into what is
now New Mexico. There the Spanish founded settlements. One of
these was the city of Santa Fe in 1609. Over time, expeditions set
out from New Mexico. They explored the area around what is now
San Angelo, Texas.
Reading
Progress Check
9. What impact did Spanish
entry into Texas have on
Native Americans?
The Spanish who entered what is now Texas had an impact on
the area. They unknowingly carried diseases against which Native
Americans had no defenses. These diseases began to spread rapidly
among Native Americans and killed many of them.
Writing
Check for Understanding
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
1. Narrative Describe the main events of the Coronado expedition from Coronado’s point
of view.
2. Expository What areas of present-day Texas did the Spanish explore?
Reading Essentials and Study Guide 75