Bannon, John Francis. The Spanish Borderlands Frontier, 1513 – 1821. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1997.
Before Texas was part of the United States, and even before it was part of Mexico, it was part of a vast Spanish Empire. Not only Texas, but much of the US once belonged to Spain. Florida, New Mexico, California, Arizona, and other areas were explored and settled by the Spanish centuries before they became part of the US.
Popular culture often portrays the story of American expansion in the West as one in which Anglo-American pioneers tamed an unknown wilderness. This is an exaggeration at best, especially in the American Southwest, as this area had long been settled by the Spanish. These early Spanish explorers and settlers left a lasting impact that affects us today; especially in regards to language, culture, religion and even place names. Most of the rivers in Texas have Spanish names.
This book begins in 1513 when the first Spanish explorer arrived in Florida, and ends in 1821 when Mexico won its independence thus ending Spain’s involvement in North America. If you are interested in knowing about the people and events that shaped this period of history, then I highly recommend this book for you.
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Contributed by Joshua Wallace, Reference Librarian at the Pecan Campus.
