1519 Map of Alonso Alvarez De Pineda of Spain
This is the oldest known map of our Gulf Coast.
LORE: This is a 16th Century Spanish Cutlass. Because
of the curve of its blade it can cut a rope with a single chop,
whereas a straight sword might fail on its first attempt. On
board a ship that can be vital.
There are several early Europeans who may have come close to the Rockport area: La
Salle, for one - De Soto, for another - others never leaving the ship, such as Alonso Alvarez
De Pineda who took an early cruise down the coastline back around the middle of the year
1519 - the first to map the Texas coast.
But the most likely candidate for an actual early visitation to the Aransas and Copano Bays
would have to be De Vaca.
16