Prepared by the staff of the University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures at San Antonio, this pamphlet is one of a series which reports contributions made by ethnic groups to the history and culture of Texas. Specifically, historical incidents involving Spanish explorers and missionaries are discussed, relating their contributions to Texas. The era of Spanish exploration covers the period from 1519 to 1793. For this period, the horses of conquest; the search for Gran Quivira in 1540; the flight of the 300 in 1553; the securing of a northern foothold in 1598; the building of the college of Santa Cruz, Queretaro, in 1683 and the first East Texas mission in 1690; the removal of missions from East Texas in 1731; the campaign against the Comanche and Wichita Indians in 1759; and the population of Spanish Texas in 1783 are covered. Also discussed are the era of unrest, including the Plan of Iguala and independence in 1821, the new Spanish Texans in 1850, and Spanish settlement in the Panhandle in 1876. (HBC)