Instructor Manual: De La Teja, Texas Crossroads North America, 3e, ©2027, 9798214159928; Chapter 1: First Texans, First Encounters:
Prehistory to 1554
Instructor Manual
De La Teja, Texas Crossroads North America, 3e, ©2027, 9798214159928;
Chapter 1: First Texans, First Encounters: Prehistory to 1554
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Cengage Supplements....................................................................................................2
Learning Objectives.......................................................................................................3
Key Terms.....................................................................................................................3
What's New in This Chapter........................................................................................5
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................6
Suggested Readings.....................................................................................................14
Texas Takes Shape...................................................................................................................................15
Late Prehistoric Texas..............................................................................................................................15
European Arrival......................................................................................................................................16
© 2027 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 1
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: De La Teja, Texas Crossroads North America, 3e, ©2027, 9798214159928; Chapter 1: First Texans, First Encounters:
Prehistory to 1554
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the prehistoric development of Texas from the earliest human
inhabitants through initial European contact during the sixteenth century, exploring how diverse
Indigenous cultures adapted to varied ecological environments and established Texas as a cultural
crossroads. Students will analyze the archeological evidence for human presence spanning potentially
20,000 years, from Paleoindian hunter-gatherers to complex Late Prehistoric societies including the
agricultural Caddo and Jornada Mogollón peoples. The chapter investigates how changing environmental
conditions influenced cultural development, the emergence of sophisticated trade networks connecting the
Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and the technological innovations that enabled successful adaptation
to Texas’s diverse ecosystems. Additionally, students will evaluate the early Spanish exploration attempts
by Cabeza de Vaca, Coronado, and the Soto–Moscoso expeditions, understanding how these encounters
established patterns of Indigenous–European interaction while revealing why Texas initially held little
appeal for Spanish colonization efforts during the Age of Conquest.
CENGAGE SUPPLEMENTS
The following product-level supplements provide additional information that may help you in preparing
your course. They are available at www.cengage.com in the Instructor Resource Center.
Transition Guide
o A chapter-by-chapter list that highlights content changes and updates in the new edition
of the textbook and courseware design.
PowerPoints
o Ready-to-use and customizable visual presentations for each chapter that include
interactive activities and prompts to generate class discussion, promote comprehension,
and foster student engagement.
Test Bank
o Test Bank content, offered in Blackboard, Moodle, Desire2Learn, and Canvas formats,
contains learning objective-specific multiple-choice and essay questions for each chapter.
You can import the test bank into your LMS to edit and manage questions and to create
tests.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The following learning objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1-1 Explain the importance of the Gault site in revising the timeline of the human presence in
Texas.
1-2 Describe the evidence for Paleo-Texans forming attachments to specific places in Texas.
1-3 Locate the three major late prehistoric Texas coastal culture groups.
1-4 Describe how the Jornada Mogollón were able to successfully farm in the arid western part of
Texas.
1-5 Describe the two purposes of mound building among the Caddo people of East Texas.
1-6 Cite three characteristics of early modern Europe that contributed to Columbus being able to
undertake his voyage in 1492.
© 2027 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 2
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: De La Teja, Texas Crossroads North America, 3e, ©2027, 9798214159928; Chapter 1: First Texans, First Encounters:
Prehistory to 1554
1-7 Explain how the failure of the Pánfilo de Narváez expedition contributed to the earliest
Spanish exploration of Texas.
1-8 Describe the locations in Texas encountered by the Francisco Vázquez de Coronado
expedition.
[return to top]
KEY TERMS
Adelantados: Spanish leaders granted royal charters to lead conquest, colonization, or settlement
expeditions in the New World.
Antelope Creek Phase: Late prehistoric culture (800–500 years ago) in northwestern Texas that
combined bison hunting with horticulture and stone dwelling construction.
Archaic Period: Cultural period in Texas (10,000–2,000 years ago) marked by greater reliance on
locally available resources and increasing regional specialization.
Atlatls: Spear-throwing levers used by Early Archaic Texans to launch darts tipped with stone points at
smaller mammals.
Cabeza de Vaca, Álvar Núñez: Spanish explorer and chronicler who survived the failed Narváez
expedition and wrote the first ethnographic work on North America.
Caddo: Sophisticated agricultural culture of East Texas that emerged 1,200 years ago, known for mound
building, pottery making, and complex political confederacies.
Capitulaciones: Royal charters issued by Castilian monarchs to expedition leaders granting specific
privileges in return for the Crown’s one-fifth share of proceeds.
Clovis: Archeological culture dating to about 13,500 years ago, identified by distinctive fluted projectile
points and associated toolkit technology.
Coahuiltecan: Assemblage of culturally similar hunter-gatherer groups inhabiting southern Texas and
neighboring northern Mexico during late prehistoric times.
Conquistadors: Spanish conquerors who participated in the exploration and conquest of the Americas
during the Age of Conquest.
Coronado, Francisco Vázquez de: Spanish conquistador who led a major expedition (1540–1542)
searching for the Seven Cities of Gold, reaching the Texas Panhandle.
Encomiendas: Spanish colonial grants of Indigenous tribute, either as labor or goods, awarded to
expedition members following successful conquests.
Entradas: Spanish conquest, colonization, or settlement expeditions undertaken with royal
authorization during the colonial period.
Gault Site: Archeological site in Bell County, Texas, providing evidence of human presence dating
back as early as 22,000 years ago.
© 2027 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 3
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: De La Teja, Texas Crossroads North America, 3e, ©2027, 9798214159928; Chapter 1: First Texans, First Encounters:
Prehistory to 1554
Jornada Mogollón: Desert farming culture of far West Texas (2,000 years ago) that combined
agriculture with hunting and gathering in arid conditions.
Jumanos: Indigenous communities identified by sixteenth-century Spaniards as inhabiting the southern
Plains and Trans-Pecos regions, likely descendants of Jornada Mogollón culture.
Karankawa: Coastal culture group inhabiting bays and barrier islands from Corpus Christi to the lower
Brazos River, traceable through archeological evidence to about 800 years ago.
Late Prehistoric Period: Final period of Texas prehistory (about 2,000 years ago) characterized by
increasing cultural diversification and adoption of bow and arrow technology.
Megafauna: Large Ice Age animals such as mastodons, mammoths, giant sloths, and longhorn bison
that died out by the end of the Pleistocene epoch.
Narváez, Pánfilo de: Spanish conquistador who led the failed 1528 Florida expedition that resulted
in the first recorded European arrival in Texas.
Paleoindian: Earliest known human inhabitants of Texas, hunter-gatherer populations who arrived
toward the end of the Pleistocene epoch, possibly 15,000 years ago.
Pleistocene Epoch: Last Ice Age period (approximately 2 million to 12,000 years ago) that brought
final major changes creating present-day Texas landscapes.
Proto-Apaches: Athabaskan-speaking hunter-gatherer bands who moved down the Rocky Mountains
about 700 years ago, becoming formidable pre-horse buffalo hunters.
Quinto Real: The Spanish Crown’s mandatory one-fifth share of proceeds from conquest and
colonization expeditions in the New World.
Reconquista: Seven-century Christian recovery of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim kingdoms,
which gave Spain its strong Catholic identity and militarized culture.
Requerimiento: Spanish legal document read to Indigenous communities before subjugation,
explaining biblical history and papal donation of lands to Spanish monarchs.
Soto, Hernando de: Ruthless Spanish conquistador who led a 600-man expedition through
southeastern North America (1539–1542), including East Texas.
Toyah Phase: Central Texas Late Prehistoric culture (1300–1700 CE) characterized by buffalo hunting,
bow and arrow use, and participation in interregional trade.
[return to top]
WHAT'S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
Introduction of learning objectives
Introduces a section heading in the introduction called “Modern Texas Emerges”
Expansion of illustrations
Increased use of primary source quotes and narratives
© 2027 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 4
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Prehistory to 1554
Instructor Manual
De La Teja, Texas Crossroads North America, 3e, ©2027, 9798214159928;
Chapter 1: First Texans, First Encounters: Prehistory to 1554
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Cengage Supplements....................................................................................................2
Learning Objectives.......................................................................................................3
Key Terms.....................................................................................................................3
What's New in This Chapter........................................................................................5
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................6
Suggested Readings.....................................................................................................14
Texas Takes Shape...................................................................................................................................15
Late Prehistoric Texas..............................................................................................................................15
European Arrival......................................................................................................................................16
© 2027 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 1
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: De La Teja, Texas Crossroads North America, 3e, ©2027, 9798214159928; Chapter 1: First Texans, First Encounters:
Prehistory to 1554
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the prehistoric development of Texas from the earliest human
inhabitants through initial European contact during the sixteenth century, exploring how diverse
Indigenous cultures adapted to varied ecological environments and established Texas as a cultural
crossroads. Students will analyze the archeological evidence for human presence spanning potentially
20,000 years, from Paleoindian hunter-gatherers to complex Late Prehistoric societies including the
agricultural Caddo and Jornada Mogollón peoples. The chapter investigates how changing environmental
conditions influenced cultural development, the emergence of sophisticated trade networks connecting the
Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and the technological innovations that enabled successful adaptation
to Texas’s diverse ecosystems. Additionally, students will evaluate the early Spanish exploration attempts
by Cabeza de Vaca, Coronado, and the Soto–Moscoso expeditions, understanding how these encounters
established patterns of Indigenous–European interaction while revealing why Texas initially held little
appeal for Spanish colonization efforts during the Age of Conquest.
CENGAGE SUPPLEMENTS
The following product-level supplements provide additional information that may help you in preparing
your course. They are available at www.cengage.com in the Instructor Resource Center.
Transition Guide
o A chapter-by-chapter list that highlights content changes and updates in the new edition
of the textbook and courseware design.
PowerPoints
o Ready-to-use and customizable visual presentations for each chapter that include
interactive activities and prompts to generate class discussion, promote comprehension,
and foster student engagement.
Test Bank
o Test Bank content, offered in Blackboard, Moodle, Desire2Learn, and Canvas formats,
contains learning objective-specific multiple-choice and essay questions for each chapter.
You can import the test bank into your LMS to edit and manage questions and to create
tests.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The following learning objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1-1 Explain the importance of the Gault site in revising the timeline of the human presence in
Texas.
1-2 Describe the evidence for Paleo-Texans forming attachments to specific places in Texas.
1-3 Locate the three major late prehistoric Texas coastal culture groups.
1-4 Describe how the Jornada Mogollón were able to successfully farm in the arid western part of
Texas.
1-5 Describe the two purposes of mound building among the Caddo people of East Texas.
1-6 Cite three characteristics of early modern Europe that contributed to Columbus being able to
undertake his voyage in 1492.
© 2027 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 2
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: De La Teja, Texas Crossroads North America, 3e, ©2027, 9798214159928; Chapter 1: First Texans, First Encounters:
Prehistory to 1554
1-7 Explain how the failure of the Pánfilo de Narváez expedition contributed to the earliest
Spanish exploration of Texas.
1-8 Describe the locations in Texas encountered by the Francisco Vázquez de Coronado
expedition.
[return to top]
KEY TERMS
Adelantados: Spanish leaders granted royal charters to lead conquest, colonization, or settlement
expeditions in the New World.
Antelope Creek Phase: Late prehistoric culture (800–500 years ago) in northwestern Texas that
combined bison hunting with horticulture and stone dwelling construction.
Archaic Period: Cultural period in Texas (10,000–2,000 years ago) marked by greater reliance on
locally available resources and increasing regional specialization.
Atlatls: Spear-throwing levers used by Early Archaic Texans to launch darts tipped with stone points at
smaller mammals.
Cabeza de Vaca, Álvar Núñez: Spanish explorer and chronicler who survived the failed Narváez
expedition and wrote the first ethnographic work on North America.
Caddo: Sophisticated agricultural culture of East Texas that emerged 1,200 years ago, known for mound
building, pottery making, and complex political confederacies.
Capitulaciones: Royal charters issued by Castilian monarchs to expedition leaders granting specific
privileges in return for the Crown’s one-fifth share of proceeds.
Clovis: Archeological culture dating to about 13,500 years ago, identified by distinctive fluted projectile
points and associated toolkit technology.
Coahuiltecan: Assemblage of culturally similar hunter-gatherer groups inhabiting southern Texas and
neighboring northern Mexico during late prehistoric times.
Conquistadors: Spanish conquerors who participated in the exploration and conquest of the Americas
during the Age of Conquest.
Coronado, Francisco Vázquez de: Spanish conquistador who led a major expedition (1540–1542)
searching for the Seven Cities of Gold, reaching the Texas Panhandle.
Encomiendas: Spanish colonial grants of Indigenous tribute, either as labor or goods, awarded to
expedition members following successful conquests.
Entradas: Spanish conquest, colonization, or settlement expeditions undertaken with royal
authorization during the colonial period.
Gault Site: Archeological site in Bell County, Texas, providing evidence of human presence dating
back as early as 22,000 years ago.
© 2027 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 3
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: De La Teja, Texas Crossroads North America, 3e, ©2027, 9798214159928; Chapter 1: First Texans, First Encounters:
Prehistory to 1554
Jornada Mogollón: Desert farming culture of far West Texas (2,000 years ago) that combined
agriculture with hunting and gathering in arid conditions.
Jumanos: Indigenous communities identified by sixteenth-century Spaniards as inhabiting the southern
Plains and Trans-Pecos regions, likely descendants of Jornada Mogollón culture.
Karankawa: Coastal culture group inhabiting bays and barrier islands from Corpus Christi to the lower
Brazos River, traceable through archeological evidence to about 800 years ago.
Late Prehistoric Period: Final period of Texas prehistory (about 2,000 years ago) characterized by
increasing cultural diversification and adoption of bow and arrow technology.
Megafauna: Large Ice Age animals such as mastodons, mammoths, giant sloths, and longhorn bison
that died out by the end of the Pleistocene epoch.
Narváez, Pánfilo de: Spanish conquistador who led the failed 1528 Florida expedition that resulted
in the first recorded European arrival in Texas.
Paleoindian: Earliest known human inhabitants of Texas, hunter-gatherer populations who arrived
toward the end of the Pleistocene epoch, possibly 15,000 years ago.
Pleistocene Epoch: Last Ice Age period (approximately 2 million to 12,000 years ago) that brought
final major changes creating present-day Texas landscapes.
Proto-Apaches: Athabaskan-speaking hunter-gatherer bands who moved down the Rocky Mountains
about 700 years ago, becoming formidable pre-horse buffalo hunters.
Quinto Real: The Spanish Crown’s mandatory one-fifth share of proceeds from conquest and
colonization expeditions in the New World.
Reconquista: Seven-century Christian recovery of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim kingdoms,
which gave Spain its strong Catholic identity and militarized culture.
Requerimiento: Spanish legal document read to Indigenous communities before subjugation,
explaining biblical history and papal donation of lands to Spanish monarchs.
Soto, Hernando de: Ruthless Spanish conquistador who led a 600-man expedition through
southeastern North America (1539–1542), including East Texas.
Toyah Phase: Central Texas Late Prehistoric culture (1300–1700 CE) characterized by buffalo hunting,
bow and arrow use, and participation in interregional trade.
[return to top]
WHAT'S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The following elements are improvements in this chapter from the previous edition:
Introduction of learning objectives
Introduces a section heading in the introduction called “Modern Texas Emerges”
Expansion of illustrations
Increased use of primary source quotes and narratives
© 2027 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a 4
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
