Use the excerpt below to answer the following question:

Texas History
in 1581 the first Spanish explorers reached the area where the twin cities of El Paso in Texas, and Ciudad Juarez 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 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.


What did Oñate celebrate upon reaching El Paso del Norte?

A. the successful journey across the desert
B. the naming of the Northern Pass
C. the founding of Santa Fe
D. the successful settlement of the upper Rio Grande