Write An Essay On Hernando De Soto
Hernando de Soto was born in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain sometime around the year 1500. He was born to parents who lived in Extremadura, an area of great hardship and poverty. Like many young men at the time, de Soto longed to escape Extremadura and achieve military fame exploring new lands.
In 1514, de Soto sailed with the Spanish governor of Panama where he assisted in the conquest of Central America. From an early age, de Soto gained a reputation for bravery, intellect, and brutality. In 1528, de Soto became regidor of Guatemala and sailed from there to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, hoping to find a passage from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean that would enable Spanish trade with the East Indies. The expedition ultimately …show more content…
On May 8, 1541, Hernando de Soto discovered the Mississippi River, although de Soto was not exactly thrilled with the finding. The Mississippi River was a huge, broad river that stood in the way of his expedition. It took over a month to build the appropriate floats to navigate across the river. Once across the river, the expedition continued into Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. They spent the next winter on the Arkansas River. Things began falling apart for de Soto, when Juan Ortiz, his faithful interpreter died. The death of Ortiz made communication with native peoples and the procurement of food much harder. Furthermore, while in Arkansas, de Soto and his men clashed with the Tula people which took a great toll on the already weakened men. On May 21, 1542, Hernando de Soto himself died of a fever.
At the time, the de Soto expedition was seen as a great failure. De Soto failed to establish any permanent colonies, found no gold, and did not find the passage between the two great oceans. Furthermore, his expedition left death and disease wherever it traveled that resulted in the destruction of countless native villages. De Soto’s expedition, however, did provide the first documented descriptions of the native people in the southeastern United States and caused the Spanish to concentrate their colonies in Florida and along the Pacific
In 1514, de Soto sailed with the Spanish governor of Panama where he assisted in the conquest of Central America. From an early age, de Soto gained a reputation for bravery, intellect, and brutality. In 1528, de Soto became regidor of Guatemala and sailed from there to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, hoping to find a passage from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean that would enable Spanish trade with the East Indies. The expedition ultimately …show more content…
On May 8, 1541, Hernando de Soto discovered the Mississippi River, although de Soto was not exactly thrilled with the finding. The Mississippi River was a huge, broad river that stood in the way of his expedition. It took over a month to build the appropriate floats to navigate across the river. Once across the river, the expedition continued into Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. They spent the next winter on the Arkansas River. Things began falling apart for de Soto, when Juan Ortiz, his faithful interpreter died. The death of Ortiz made communication with native peoples and the procurement of food much harder. Furthermore, while in Arkansas, de Soto and his men clashed with the Tula people which took a great toll on the already weakened men. On May 21, 1542, Hernando de Soto himself died of a fever.
At the time, the de Soto expedition was seen as a great failure. De Soto failed to establish any permanent colonies, found no gold, and did not find the passage between the two great oceans. Furthermore, his expedition left death and disease wherever it traveled that resulted in the destruction of countless native villages. De Soto’s expedition, however, did provide the first documented descriptions of the native people in the southeastern United States and caused the Spanish to concentrate their colonies in Florida and along the Pacific