Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto was born in Spain, around the year 1500.  Since it was shortly after Columbus discovered the New World, de Soto grew up, as many young men did during the Age of Exploration, hoping for riches and glory as he explored new lands.

Hernando de Soto He got what he wanted. In 1514, at only 14, he made his first voyage to the New World.  Over the years, he helped in the conquest of Central America and worked in the slave trade.  In addition to gold, de Soto also searched for a passage that would connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. 

Hernando de Soto When that didn't work out, he joined up with Francisco Pizarro, as second in command, on a trip to South America. They conquered the Inca Empire in 1533.

The conquest made de Soto extremely wealthy and he returned to Spain for a while.  He loved adventuring and eventually returned to the New World.  King Carlos appointed him governor of Cuba.  One of his duties was to colonize mainland North America. Oh yes, and he was tasked with finding a passage by ship to the Pacific Ocean. 

Hernando de Soto In 1539 with 620 men and 220 horses, de Soto set out on a mission to explore the mainland of what would become the United States for colonization by Spanish settlers.

Hernando de Soto As you might expect, the local inhabitants saw no need for colonization of their lands, nor for de Soto's brutality.  There were constant battles between the natives and de Soto. But de Soto and his men continued through what would become Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina and on to Tennessee in search of gold.  There was no gold in “them thar” hills.

Hernando de Soto The expedition spent the winter of 1539 in Tennessee and the winter of 1540 in Mississippi.

Hernando de Soto On May 8, 1541, de Soto made a discovery that less than thrilled him.  He found the Mississippi River.  It took his men over a month to build the necessary floats to cross the river.  But, once over the river and through the woods, the expedition was free to explore present day Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas (where they spent the next winter).

Hernando de Soto So far, Hernando de Soto had been incredibly lucky. His luck was about to change. First, the group’s faithful interpreter died. This made it much more difficult to speak with the local people, get directions for travel, and gather food.   As well ...

Hernando de Soto … while in Arkansas, the Tula people attacked the explorers. Many men died. The rest were weakened by the fight, although they did get away.   Already weakened, de Soto became ill. He ran a high fever and died. He was 42 years old. His men could not bury him.

Hernando de Soto De Soto’s interpreter had told the Native Americans that de Soto was an immortal sun deity, hoping they would believe that and leave the explorers alone. It worked! But immortal sun deities do not die. The explorers needed to keep de Soto’s death a secret if they wished to live.

Hernando de Soto Instead of burying him with any kind of pomp and ceremony, they wrapped his body in a blanket filled with sand and slipped it into the Mississippi River under cover of darkness.

Hernando de Soto No colonies were established. No gold was found. No elusive passage connected the two oceans.  Half the men and nearly all the horses died.  If that wasn't enough, the explorers left death and disease everywhere they went.  So, it should come as no surprise that the expedition was seen as a failure at the time. 

Hernando de Soto However, de Soto’s trip provided information about the people living in the southeastern United States.  It was enough information for the Spanish to leave the area alone and focus on Florida and South America.