Title: The Expedition of Hernando de Soto to Southeastern North America, 1538-1543
Headings: 
The Death of de Soto
The Continuation of the Expedition
Under the Command of Luys Moscoso

Content: The Expedition of Hernando de Soto to Southeastern North America, 1538-1543



An expedition under the command of Panfilo Narvaez was sent by the King of Spain to explore the Spanish territory of Florida, which included at that time the whole of southeastern North America. The Narvaez expedition had disappeared and what happened to it would not be known until eight years later when Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and his three companions walked into the city of Culiacan in what is now northwestern Mexico in 1536. However prior to the return of Cabeza de Vaca the King was ready to try again to find out what treasures might be in the territory of Florida and selected Hernando de Soto  to command the new expedition. De Soto was 39 years of age and had had a successful career in the King's military. He had first served in Panama and later went to Peru with Pizarro. Cabeza de Vaca returned to Spain shortly after de Soto was selected and de Soto wanted Cabeza de Vaca to be part of his expedition. Cabeza de Vaca knew the customs and languages of several of the tribes of the territory of Florida and would have been an extremely valuable addition to the expedition. Cabeza de Vaca knew however that unless he himself was the commander of an expedition the natives would not be treated humanely and Christianized. He therefore turned down de Soto's offer. Hernando de Soto was a son of a squire in Jerez and had gone to Panama as a common soldier and was promoted because of his courage and abilities to be the captain of a troop.