![]() The most valuable aspect of the accounts is the portrayal of the Indian groups the expedition encountered. Although these accounts are biased, together they give a fairly complete picture of de Soto. The fourth was written forty to fifty years later by Garcilaso de la Vega from interviews with survivors and appears to have many fictional additions. Three detailed narratives of the expedition were written by survivors Rodrigo Ranjel, Luys Hernández de Biedma, and an unnamed Portuguese soldier. Scholars have long debated the actual route, but archaeologists have discovered small brass bells and other Spanish artifacts at a few archaeological sites-evidence of the expedition. The four known accounts of the expedition describe the Indians they encountered in the next two years. The explorers were the first Europeans to set foot in Arkansas. After landing on the southwest coast of Florida, the crew traveled through the Southeast before crossing the Mississippi River into what is now Arkansas on J(June 18 on the Julian calendar, which was used at that time). His contract with the king required him to explore the region and establish settlements and forts. In May 1539, de Soto set out from Cuba with about 600 men, plus horses, pigs, and equipment. In 1537, he began gathering supplies and recruiting a paid army to participate in the expedition. In addition, de Soto was made governor of Cuba, which would serve as his base for the conquest. He petitioned King Charles V for a governorship in Central America, but after complicated negotiations, the king offered him the opportunity to explore and conquer La Florida, which consisted of what is now the southern United States. Returning to Spain in 1536, he married Isabel de Bobadilla at Valladolid in that November. By 1536, he had gained fame as a cruel but successful military leader in the conquest of Native American groups in Central and South America and had become wealthy from his involvement in the sale of Indian slaves. He became a soldier, participating in raids and expeditions in Panama, Nicaragua, and Peru. Although the family was of noble heritage, de Soto was poor and borrowed money to travel to the New World in 1514. The second son of Francisco Méndez de Soto and Leonor Arias Tinoco, he had at least two younger sisters and an older brother. ![]() He probably was born in the town of Jerez de los Caballeros. Four written accounts of the expedition provide details about his trek through the state.ĭe Soto was born in the Extremadura region of western Spain around 1500, but the exact date is uncertain. He and his soldiers were the first Europeans to set foot in what is now Arkansas. Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer who led an expedition into the southern United States. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |