Texas Explorers

Explore Texas's past! Learn about early explorers & their discoveries with this fun worksheet.

FILL IN THE BLANKS: In 1492, Christopher Columbus reached an island near Florida. He claimed the land for Spain. He reported back to Spain that he found good land, many people, and some gold. Soon, more explorers began to seek the land and its gold.In 1519, Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda was the first explorer to reach Texas. He sailed along the Gulf Coast making maps of the area.In 1528, Cabeza de Vaca sailed from Spain to Florida. He left Florida after a failed expedition and became lost at sea. He landed in Galveston, Texas where he was enslaved by the Karankawa indians. Matching Match the explorer with what they are known for. Cabeza de Vaca He left Florida after a failed expedition. He became lost at sea and landed in Galveston, Texas. He traveled through the interior of Texas and wrote about its plants, animals and natives. Sieur de La Salle French explorer that head to the Mississippi River to build a colony and challenge Spanish control. Alonso Alvarez de Pineda He mapped the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Mexico in 1519. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Inspired by the stories of The Seven Cities of Cibola, he led an expedition from Spain. All he found were adobe huts and buffalo. Map Matching Match the explorer with the route they took La Salle's Route Cabeza De Vaca's Route Alvarez de Pineda's Route VOCABULARY Match the word to the correct definition. artifacts objects that are made and used by early people of the past. mission a settlement where religion is taught expansion increasing in size, numbers, or growth expedition a journey made for a specific purpose