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First Encounters
Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda

Alvarez de Pineda was a Spanish explorer and cartographer. In 1519, the Governor of Jamaica, Francisco de Garay, sent de Pineda to explore and chart the Gulf Coast from Florida to Mexico in an attempt to find a water route from the Gulf to the Orient.  During a 9 month expedition, he mapped about 800 miles of shoreline from western Florida to Veracruz.  He and his men were the first Europeans to explore this large area.  Among the many rivers and bays explored was Corpus Christi Bay, which was named for the Catholic Feast Day.  At Vera Cruz, his expedition encountered Hernan Cortez who attempted to arrest members of the expedition.  Alvarez de Pineda retreated back up the Mexican coast to Rio Panuco where he attempted to establish a settlement at a site near present day Tampico.  While at the settlement, Alvarez is believed to have died in fight with the Huastec Indians.  When the ships of this 1519 expedition returned to Jamaica, they carried a report of the expedition and a map sketch of the entire gulf coast.  Both were eventually forwarded to Spain by Governor Garay.  The map, whose proportions are fairly accurate, was the first known map of the Gulf Coast and is housed in the Archivo General de Indias at Seville, Spain.

Statue of Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda
Corner of Laredo and Agnes Streets Corpus Christi, TX.

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