Here is a picture of Hernando De Soto the great adventurer that has founded one of America's favorite vacationing spots. Or the man who has founded the state that is popurlarly known as the base of the popular sport of Nascar racing? Or did you just think of him as some guy that helped you get a great sun tan or, the guy who found the place where Disney Land is? Well be prepared because you are in store for much more than you think.
Hernando De Soto was born in Extremadura a small island in Spain near Portugal. He is best known as the first person to sail around and find Florida and the South Americas. Hernando De Soto was very young when he took his first voyage and was only fourteen at the time. The fleet of ships sailed the coast of Peru and landed in a nearby village. They were surprised to find three villages that were abandoned. They salvaged food corn and fresh water to last longer on the island. The next day a crew was chosen to go onto land and see what they could find. De Soto was one of them. They came upon a small village where a feast began. There with the Indian/Native American tribe was Balboa. Balboa had learned that The Native Americans didn’t mean harm and began to make friends with them. He had also almost mastered their language. De Soto began to make good friends with Balboa. The fleet returned to the ship but one of the crew was missing. Luckily the crewmember returned to the ship unharmed at one’ O clock, bragging of his adventures. The captain Davila was so angry that the crew member was shot on the spot and killed.
While creating a friendship with Balboa, he learned many new things. Many things such as how to swordfight and fencing. He got so good that he was enrolled in Balboa's army and was one of his best lancers. the captain of the ship that De soto was on began to get very jealous of Balboa's power . The captain wanted Balboa done.. When the captain was granted king of Portugal and had great power for his discovery he had Balboa sent to jail with many penalties. Soon he was hung and the captain had accomplished his mission. Hernando De Soto held a small and secret funeral for Balboa his great mentor and he was buried. In reward for being a crewmember of the fleet of ships who discovered the small island he was famed with many riches along with the rest of the crew.
Hoping to find another Peru, De Soto and 620 other men set sail. Soon they landed just south of Tampa Bay Florida, on May 30, 1539. When they got their the crew encountered a man named Juan Ortiz a survivor of an earlier failed expedition to Florida, who had lived among the Indians for twelve years. With Ortiz acting as interpreter, de Soto began his search for treasure and a technologically advanced Indian civilazation.They had found out from Juan that he had been captured by the Indian Civilazation when he had first arrived there and that he had learned many new things from their advanced civilazation. Ortiz agreed to lead the army into the deeper depths of florida and that is were they came upon the ensuing spring, when the march was resumed under the guidance of a native who said he would take the white men to a distant country, governed by a woman, and abounding in a yellow metal, which the Spaniards naturally took to be gold, but which proved to be copper. After wandering to the southern slopes of Florida they came upon another place, the Appalachian range. When soon finding the land of mysterious metal gold which was actually copper, they reached the dominions of an Indian queen. She welcomed them in a hurry and a desire to show the outsiders much hospitality.
While resting at the Inca village villagers told him of many great golds that were found upon the land whch is now called Florida.After gathering up his well-rested troops, Hernando and his men went on to search for more gold. This new expedition lasted about four years. From then on his contact with the Native americans was always violent and brutal., mainly because he thought of them as a distraction and an obstacle to his power and his gold which he had yet to found. the search did not end well but he was recommended by the king of spain for his findings. Hernamdo Desoto died of a fever on May 21,1542, he was buried on the banks of the Mississippi river.
