 Sixteenth-century Spanish explorers knew Galveston Island as the Isla de Malhado, the "Isle of Misfortune", or Isla de Culebras, the "Isle of Snakes".In 1519, the expedition led by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda actually sailed past Galveston Island while he was charting the route from the Florida peninsula to the Pánuco River.The information gathered from the expedition enabled the Spanish government to establish control over the entire Gulf Coast, including Galveston Island.