In 1581 the first Spanish explorers reached the area where the twin cities of El Paso in Texas, and Ciudad Juárez in Chihuahua,
Mexico are today. Because the Rio Grande flowed through two mountain ranges there, creating a pass through, the Spanish named it “El Paso del Norte,” or “the Northern Pass.” In 1598, Juan de Oñate led a huge expedition to found settlements on the upper Rio Grande. With 600 people, 83 wagons, and 7,000 animals, the party formed a train four miles (6.4 km) long. After a difficult and long desert crossing, the expedition reached El Paso del Norte where Oñate celebrated their successful journey and claimed the entire Rio Grande Valley for Spain. Oñate then marched his party up the Rio Grande into what is now New Mexico. They founded settlements, including the city of Santa Fe in 1609. Over the years, several expeditions set out from New Mexico and explored the area around present-day San Angelo, Texas. —Texas History According to the excerpt, which settlement was founded 11 years after Oñate’s expedition to the upper Rio Grande?
