Beginnings of the American Southwest

Beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries, the history of the American Southwest included foreign disputes, disagreements with Mexico, and all out war.  Before all that happened their were the Spanish, British and French...The Spanish who first roamed our Southwest were looking for gold (El Dorado) and found small Indian villages instead.  Spain therefore wasn't really interested in the region and basically gave up until the 16th century when Britain posed a threat.

Sir Francis Drake laid claim to central California in the name of the Queen in 1575. When the Spanish viceroy heard about that in Mexico City, he lost no time planning expeditions to secure northern lands and even wanted to go as far as the Phillipines (then owned by Spain).  Madrid, however didn't share his alarm and it would be two decades before Spanish ships were sent to California.

The first Spanish expedition was led by Juan de Onate in 1598.  Onate stopped in a small grove of cottonwoods near modern El Paso, calling the territory "New Mexico" which stretched from Texas to California.  Onate, with 150 settlers and their families, 8 Franciscan missionaries and 100 slaves, changed the culture of the native people. 

Next time - more of Onate's journey




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Today in Pioneer History:  "On May 23, 1701. at London’s Execution Dock, British privateer William Kidd, popularly known as Captain Kidd, is hanged for piracy and murder.