1539: Florida Hernando de Soto

library of congress engraving.

the spanish caption reads:

hernando de soto: extremaduran, 1 of discoverers , conquerors of peru: travelled across of florida , defeated invincible natives, died on expedition in year 1542 @ age of 42 .

in may 1539, de soto landed 9 ships on 620 men , 220 horses in area identified south tampa bay. historian robert s. weddle has suggested landed @ either charlotte harbor or san carlos bay. named land espíritu santo after holy spirit. ships carried priests, craftsmen, engineers, farmers, , merchants; families, cuba, europe , africa. few of men had traveled before outside of spain, or away home villages.

near de soto s port, party found juan ortiz, spaniard, living mocoso people. ortiz had been captured uzita while searching lost narváez expedition; later escaped mocoso. ortiz had learned timucua language , served interpreter de soto traversed timucuan-speaking areas on way apalachee.

ortiz established unique method guiding expedition , communicating various tribes, spoke many dialects , languages. recruited guides each tribe along route. chain of communication established whereby guide had lived in close proximity tribal area able pass information , language on guide neighboring area. because ortiz refused dress hidalgo spaniard, other officers questioned motives. de soto remained loyal ortiz, allowing him freedom dress , live among friends. important guide seventeen-year-old boy perico, or pedro, modern-day georgia. spoke several of local tribes languages , communicate ortiz. perico taken guide in 1540. spanish had captured other indians, whom used slaves. perico treated better due value spaniards.

the expedition traveled north, exploring florida s west coast, , encountering native ambushes , conflicts along way. de soto s first winter encampment @ anhaica, capital of apalachee people. 1 of few places on route archaeologists have found physical traces of expedition. chroniclers described settlement being near bay of horses . bay named events of preceding narváez expedition. starving , struggling escape, decreasing number of survivors killed , ate horses while building boats escape gulf of mexico.