1 HIST 226 Reading Guide for De Vaca s Adventures into the Unknown Interior of America Read preface will give us a better idea of what this is proem De Vaca s report to the king afterword and epilogue why this is important for us super carefully What is the narrative s purpose What does it tell us Remember names of tribes What happened when he met and lived with a particular community Major characters events issues De Vaca and Estev nico and the 2 other survivors Important characters to follow Galveston Island of Malhado Take good notes on these happenings Gendered behavior of tribes people women Take good notes on the gendered behaviors of the people that he lives with What are the gendered divisions The first exam will cover the lectures the book Adventures and any media used during lectures Exams are not comprehensive They are just over the material covered during that third of the course Cabeza de Vaca A Spanish conquistador explorer His report is not in English It s in 16th century Spanish but we are reading it translated to English Be careful of bias He brought Catholicism to the new tribes so he is biased The account he writes is biased Geography Early Cultures and Native Peoples Texas Terrain o Amerigo Vespucci Italian explorer who bumped into America Drew one of the first maps The female name is Ameriga hence where the name America came from o Alonso Pineda drew the earliest Texan artifact He described seeing giants o Techas Tejas means friendship which is the Texas state motto Texas derives from the Caddo Indian term Techas o The Great Compromise of 1850 made Texas the shape that we know today o Rivers There are 14 major rivers in Texas The Boundary Rivers are the most important rivers Boundary Rivers Red River Rio Grande River Sabine River Coastal Plains Piney Woods o Geographic and Natural Regions Petroleum and Agriculture are almost everywhere o Rolling hills and forests covered in pine trees located in East Texas o Resources timber petroleum and agriculture o Caddo Indians are located in this region Video Notes about Caddo Lake Largest naturally formed freshwater lake in Texas Extremely old lake full of Cyprus trees and Spanish moss 2 1843 1900s saw a lot of people crossing the lake to Jefferson which once had the largest port Could travel all the way to Jefferson Diverse in fish and bird species The cabins were one of the first 5 projects built by the CCC Civilian Conservation Corps They always used native stone and wood Post Oak Savannah Gulf Coast Prairie o Sandy soil post oak timbers o Resources timber agriculture commerce and light industries o South of the Sabine River and stretches to Corpus Christie o Most of the area is at or near sea level o Most populated region includes Houston o Resources petroleum chemical manufacturing refining and agriculture South Texas Plain o Triangle shape Corpus Christie to San Antonio to the Del Rio o Rugged fertile prairie o The Spanish and Mexican heritage is particularly evident in this area o Resources petroleum farming and ranching o Rich black soil o Heart of the cotton industry in the 19th century o As cotton production reduced grain and livestock became profitable Blackland Prarie o Resources commerce manufacturing and service industries here North Central Plains Cross Timbers o Between Fort Worth and Abilene o Hardwood trees oak o Resources vegetables peanuts poultry and some petroleum Grand Prairie Rolling Plains o Relatively small populations o Resources livestock and farming o Spacious plains with limestone escarpments o Resources Agriculture petroleum cattle and wheat Great Plains High Plains o Once a fabulous sea of grasses now it s just mainly farmland o Resources Petroleum and ranching Edwards Plateau o Erosion has created rocking and rolling plains o Resources Ranching sheep and goats Mohair and wool industries Llano Basin Hill Country o Used to be ranching but now more tourism and recreation o Scenic area with many beautiful rivers and lakes 3 o Includes Austin and San Antonio o Resources ranching tourism recreation Basin and Mountain Trans Pecos o Most diverse region in Texas o Deserts and mountains o Beautiful but brutal o Last region to be settled in Texas o Resources Natural gas and livestock Early Cultures The First Dwellers o The first arrivals in Texas were approx 12 000 years ago o Bering Land Bridge during the Ice Age is thought to have been the gateway for Asian people to migrate to America When global warming happened they were trapped o It is believed that the people came across the land bridge in pursuit of mammoths They were trapped here when sea levels rose again o When Christopher Columbus arrived he called the people Indians because he thought he was in India How do we know how people came to America o Geography and climate o Archeological evidence o Physical o Cultural Culture is language religions traditions community demographics food etc When we look at the present language there was over 2 000 languages present in America in the 16th century Columbus s time Scholars say that it would take 25 000 years for all these languages to develop o We have written accounts of people 16th century accounts Cabeza de Vaca Bartolem de Las Casas Diversity o Hunters and Gatherers o Desert Cultures The Ice Age placed stress on great big animals mammoths 32 species were extinct so their primary meat became the buffalo Tool making evidence of grinding tools for vegetables They evolved their weaponry so that they could hunt the new animals like bison Pursued small game animals and foraged for food They were found in what is now Utah and Nevada Moved seasonally throughout the region for different seeds and plants then to higher areas to fish from the streams Archeological evidence shows baskets that were used to collect prickly pears and nets to catch fish 4 o Forest Efficiency East of the Mississippi river Hunted small game gathered seeds nuts wild berries and plants for food Burned the woodlands provided fertilizer for a new wild growth First group of preservationists o Sedentary Agriculture Highlands of Mexico Developed and practiced farming techniques suggesting that they d stay in one place shared Located and staying in one location to build a community Permanent architecture village communities and storage units so that food can be Hinds Cave Cal Verde County TX o We see evidence of archaic people From the evidence that we found we can determine that they were Semi nomadic Hunters and gatherers Grew
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