CHAPTER 1 THE SIX FLAGS OF TEXAS Texans Texans are known for the intense pride they take in their state The same goes for the state’s sports teams In Texas people like things big And many of Texas’s teams are big winners The flags of six different nations have flown over Texas This complex history has given the state a unique culture that its citizens can be proud of But before there were any flags over Texas American Indian nations lived in the area Big Tex welcomes attendees each year to the Texas State Fair the biggest fair in the country 5
For thousands of years several tribes made their homes in what is now Texas These included the Caddos who grew corn and sunflowers in East Texas The Karankawas lived on the Gulf Coast and became skilled at fishing And the Lipan Apache of West Texas were amazing horse riders deadly with a bow and arrow The first Europeans arrived in 1519 Although the Spanish were the first Europeans to explore Texas the French were the first to claim land and settle the area French explorer Robert de La Salle arrived in 1685 and built Fort St Louis near the modern-day city of Inez The first flag to fly over Texas may have been French but it didn’t last long Starting in the 1700s the Spanish began to build Catholic missions in the region The most important was Mission San Antonio de Valero better known as 6
The Alamo is now a museum and popular tourist attraction in San Antonio the Alamo The Spanish built the site in 1781 to spread Christianity in Texas The Spanish flag was the second to fly over Texas In 1820 Mexico went to war with Spain to gain independence Texas was a colony of Spain so when Mexico won its freedom it took over Texas as well Therefore the Mexican flag was the third to fly over Texas 7
