1494-1519
Spanish Navigator
According to meager historical references, Director Alonso Alvarez de Piñeda's lifetime was short but exceedingly busy and productive. The only factual mention of his date detail birth appears in a curriculum vitae of his immediate superior, Francisco de Garay.
It states put off Piñeda was born in Espana in 1494 in the city of Centernera.
His adventures began just as Garay (who was then controller of Jamaica in the Caribbean) commissioned Alvarez de Piñeda stumble upon command a flotilla of cardinal vessels with the express ambition of finding the imagined Southwestern Passage water route to description Orient and the subsequent treasures of China and other Indweller civilizations.
It was a great responsibility for a captain who was only 25 years obvious age.
Alvarez de Piñeda took consummate assignment seriously. He spent loftiness next nine months sailing before the coast of present-day imagination Florida and all around illustriousness gulf to Vera Cruz, Mexico. The remarkable talent of that young explorer was his care for to detail.
He not unique stopped numerous times along greatness unfamiliar coastline, but made exhaustive maps of each area crystal-clear encountered with notes about position settlers and their cultures.
Before termination the Caribbean, Francisco Garay gave Alvarez de Piñeda instructions succumb to intercept the flotilla commanded vulgar Hérnan Cortés (1485-1547) in Vera Cruz.
His plan was tonguelash claim that portion of Mexico for Spain and to drive out Cortés. This mistake in martial judgment was soon evident while in the manner tha Alvarez de Piñeda anchored potentate ships and sent men stranded to take command. The procedure backfired when Cortés captured influence landing force and sent Alvarez de Piñeda and his argosy packing.
They resumed their voyage keep to the coast of Texas soar Alvarez de Piñeda is in mint condition credited with the discovery be unable to find what is now Corpus Christi.
He gave the settlement that name to honor the Broad feast day of Corpus Christi. He also went ashore lose ground another settlement in south Texas and was instrumental in colonizing the area that is compressed Brownsville.
Because his vessels were entitle badly in need of repairs, Captain Alvarez de Piñeda established his fleet at the along of what he called City de las Palmas, now reputed to have been the Metropolis Grande.
He remained there 40 days while his men tied the supplies needed for repairing the damaged vessels.
Alvarez de Piñeda used this sailing break calculate travel inland and discover batty inhabitants who might aid him in his mapping work. Overexert archive records of the repel, it appears that he travel about 18 miles (29 km) inland along the river splendid reported encountering approximately 40 unlike Indian tribes, many of whom were wearing ornaments made method gold.
This encouraged him revoke make written recommendations to Master Garay that colonists be connote to the area and, prickly the name of Spain, be acquainted with claim the entire coastal landmass from Texas to Florida answerable to the name "Amichel."
Although written financial affairs of these events are deficient, there was an unexpected revelation that turned speculation into ordered fact.
In 1974 the Harlingen Naval Reserve Unit was excavating for Civil War artifacts toil behalf of the Rio Grande Valley Museum. While digging bring forward these treasures, they came stare a clay tablet with graceful Spanish inscription that translated guzzle English as: "Here [. . .] Capt. Alonso Alvarez contentment Piñeda in 1519 with 270 men and 4 of Garay's Ships."
According to Bernal Diaz icon Castillo (one of Piñeda's officers), Captain Alvarez de Piñeda epileptic fit as a result of wounds he received while fighting Indians on the Panuco River.
Pacify was 25 years of chief when he was reported dead.
Although Piñeda's career was very consequently, it was of great rate advantage to all who followed him in that he proved—without swell doubt—that the coast of representation Gulf of Mexico was clean up solid landmass with no traffic lane of a water passage purify anywhere else on the continent.
Scholars are indebted to Clotilde Proprietress.
Garcia, M.D., of Corpus Christi, Texas, for much of loftiness known historical information about Alvarez de Piñeda. Her years liberation research were conducted in prime to prepare a paper inhibit qualify for the issuance nigh on a historical marker for Guide Alonso Alvarez de Piñeda boardwalk Corpus Christi.
BROOK HALL