Title: Death and Legacy – Georgia Historical Society
Headings: Death and Legacy
Death and Legacy
Content: Death and Legacy – Georgia Historical Society
Death and Legacy
Death of the Adelantado. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs, LC-USZ62-104325
Hernando de Soto died after contracting a fever in May of 1542 in a Native American village located in modern-day Arkansas. His men buried him in the Mississippi River in the middle of the night after he passed. Prior to his death, de Soto chose Luis de Moscoso Alvarado as the new leader of the expedition. Under Alvarado’s leadership, the remaining members of the expedition floated on rafts down the Mississippi River. After reaching its end, they continued traveling until they reached Mexico City, which was already under Spanish control. Although some of the members went on subsequent expeditions of La Florida or returned to Spain, the majority of the survivors remained in Mexico for the rest of their lives. Hernando de Soto’s mission was widely regarded as a failure by both members of the expedition and the Spanish government. Despite his early successes in Central and South America and the wealth he accrued throughout his lifetime, de Soto did not accomplish what he set out to do in North America. He had hoped to replicate Pizzaro’s success in Peru by finding a rich native tribe, conquering its people, and establishing a successful Spanish settlement.