PINEDA, ALONSO ALVAREZ DE
Alonso Alvarez de
Pineda was a Spanish explorer and map-maker. De Pineda sailed for the Spanish
Governor of Jamaica, Francisco de Garay, who sent him to explore and chart the
Gulf Coast from Florida to Mexico in 1519. Captain De Pineda and his crew were
probably the first Europeans in Texas, claiming it for Spain. One of the regions
he explored and mapped was the area around Corpus Christi Bay.
De Pineda entered
Corpus Christi Bay on the feast day of Corpus Christi, hence the name.