A Castaway and a Word (1519-1700s)

🏝️ A Castaway and a Word

(1519–1700s): The Origins of “Texas”

Before it was a state, a republic, or even a concept on a map, Texas was something spoken — a word. That word was “Tejas.”

But the path to that word began with a shipwreck, a survivor, and a story unlike any other in American history.

🚢 Shipwrecked on a Strange Shore

In 1528, a Spanish expedition led by Pánfilo de Narváez met disaster along the Gulf of Mexico. Among the survivors was Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, a man destined to become one of the first Europeans to set foot in what we now call Texas.

Washed ashore on a desolate island (believed to be Galveston Island), Cabeza de Vaca and a few other castaways found themselves stranded among unfamiliar people — the Karankawa Indians.

Instead of conquering, they were conquered by survival.

They were starving, desperate, and at the mercy of native tribes who watched them with curiosity and caution. Over time, Cabeza de Vaca learned their language, their customs, and their ways. He became a healer in their eyes — a bridge between two worlds that had never touched before.

🗺️ A Journey Across Texas

Over the next eight years, Cabeza de Vaca wandered across the vast, unknown terrain of early Texas, traveling from the Gulf Coast into the arid regions of South and West Texas, possibly passing through parts of modern-day San Antonio, Big Bend, and El Paso.

He recorded what he saw — not just the geography, but the people. He encountered tribes like the Jumano, Coahuiltecan, and Caddo, documenting their appearance, rituals, and relationships.

His writings became the first detailed descriptions of native Texas cultures, wildlife, and terrain ever written by a European.

💬 Tejas: A Word That Became a Name

One of the tribes Cabeza de Vaca wrote about — though not directly encountered by him — was the Caddo of East Texas.

When later Spanish explorers came into contact with the Caddo, they heard a word repeated often: “Taysha”, which meant “friend” or “ally” in the Caddoan language.

The Spanish translated this word as “Tejas” — and began referring to the region by this name.

Over time, “Tejas” was used on maps to describe the northeastern province of New Spain. And eventually, as English speakers moved in, the pronunciation shifted.

Tejas became... Texas.

🛡️ Friendships, Misunderstandings, and Missions

From the 1600s through the 1700s, Spain sent priests and soldiers to build missions across East and Central Texas. They hoped to convert local tribes to Catholicism and build loyal settlements.

Some tribes, like the Caddo and Hasinai, were more open to Spanish presence, while others, like the Apache, fiercely resisted.

Still, the concept of “Tejas” as a land of friends persisted — even if the reality was far more complicated. There were no borders yet. Just languages, trails, and relationships built on necessity and misunderstanding.

🔍 Why This Matters

Most Texans know about the Alamo and the Republic, but few realize the state’s name itself comes from a word of friendship between native tribes — not from conquerors.

Even fewer know that the first known “Texan” explorer was not a soldier or settler, but a castaway walking barefoot across the land with nothing but his memory and his will to survive.

Cabeza de Vaca’s journey changed him — and the story of Texas — forever.