Before the 1500's, Texas was a massive land occupied by seven different kinds of Indian tribes. The seven tribes were: the Caddo's in east and northeast Texas, the Karankawa's ranged along the Gulf coast, the Coahuiltecan occupied the region along the lower Rio Grande, the Lipan-Apache were the furthest eastward and had the most contact with the early Texas settlements, the Comanche were in the north, and the Tonkawa lived in the region of central Texas. These tribes protected the land for hundreds of years until the first European explorer, Alonso Alvarez de Pineda, came to explore and map the Texas coastline.
As soon as the land was found, many other explorers came to Texas seeking for fortune and using it as a base for smuggling and privateering operations. Several European countries wanted to claim it as their own to build new settlements, especially Spain. …
