"The La Salle expedition showed that France was interested in what is now Texas. The Spanish decided that to protect their claim, they needed settlements there. Over the next several decades, Spain established missions, military outposts, called presidios, and towns, in lands occupied by Native Americans. These efforts by the Spanish in the late 1690s helped begin the Spanish Colonial era" Based on the quote above, what is the significance of La Salle expedition to the Spanish?