French, Spanish, and Franciscan Dreams of Texas

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Dreams of Texas
Spanish Conquistadors
The Spanish Conquistadors or the conquerors ventured into Tejas or Texas and New Mexico in a quest to explore the land and discover riches. This group was led by individuals like Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and Panfilo de Narvaez (Bullock Museum). These two were part of the first contingent of explorers who travelled to North America to explore the land and conquer the natives. However, a majority of these explorers travelled the land in search of riches. Apparently, there was a golden kingdom known as Quivira and other golden cities that the conquistadors were after. Many conquistadors came to explore Texas and New Mexico in search of this rumored wealth. However, they all failed. Cabeza de Vaca would end up being enslaved and others like Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and Luis de Moscoso de Alvarado failed (Bullock Museum). However, it is crucial to note that even though they failed to find any wealth, they were able to map the Texas Gulf Coast (Bullock Museum). There is one conquistador whose mission was different from the rest, and his name was Juan de Onate. de Onate was required to explore the land and establish a colony in the region. Juan de Onate managed to establish a Spanish colony in the region and laid claim on the land for Spain. He established the colony’s headquarters and went in search of the cities of gold (Bullock Museum). The many visits made by the conquistadors made it possible to map the region of Texas and New Mexico. However, the riches were an illusion that gave the conquistadors a mirage to chase after.
Franciscan Missionaries
The role of the Franciscan missionaries was to spread religion. Their mission was to have as many converts as possible among the American Indians. The mission of the Franciscan missionaries went hand in hand with the conquistadors. The missionar...