1. Mexicanos – The Spanish Frontier - The Spanish Exploration of the Far-North - Settlement of the Northern Frontier beyond Mexico - Major trends that took place to Mexican settlers By Ian Turpen

2. Spanish Exploration of the Far-North After the conquest of the Aztecs and destruction of their capital, the Spaniards fanned out. The went in search of God, Gold, and glory, the same type of quest which brought them the New World. The main leader of this march was Hernan Cortes, he lead the exploration westward.

3. Settlement of the Northern Frontier beyond New Mexico In 1682 Rene-Robert, Sieur De La Salle, made his journey down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. He wanted to set-up a vast network of trading posts. The Spanish did not like there thoughts, they feared attacks from the French. Onward, the Northwestern Frontier of Spain was also moving forward.

4. Major trends that took place to Mexican settlers Settlement of the coastal region of Alta California at the end of the18th century brought the end of the era of Spanish exploration. During the last half of the century of the colonial period, exploration continued in many areas, Pacific Coast, as far as Yakutat Bay, Alaska. They built missions in California to act as rest stops on the journeys north.