Title: Hernando de Soto 1539–1540 Winter Encampment at Anhaica Apalachee - Division of Historical Resources - Florida Department of State
Headings: Hernando de Soto 1539–1540 Winter Encampment at Anhaica Apalachee
Hernando de Soto 1539–1540 Winter Encampment at Anhaica Apalachee
The Archaeology of the Soto Winter Encampment at Anhaica Apalachee
Further Research
Radiocarbon Date for the Pig Jaw Recovered at The Governor Martin House Site

Content: A veteran of campaigns in Central and South America, Soto was a ruthless and skilled soldier. As the governor of Cuba and holder of a royal charter to conquer La Florida, he was also one of the richest men in the world at the time. Despite his high hopes, after months of exploring peninsular Florida, Soto had failed to find great sources of wealth, such as gold and silver, like other conquistadors had in Mexico and Peru. Hernando de Soto's route through Florida. Soto's expedition landed somewhere in Tampa Bay in May of 1539. Two previous expeditions to la Florida had ended poorly for their leaders, Ponce de León and Panfilo de Narvaéz, both of whom died without finding riches or establishing colonies. In peninsular Florida, Soto found little evidence of the types of riches he sought. Soto was lured to the Apalachee territory following reports by their neighbors that the Apalachee were rich and powerful. After crossing the Aucilla River, Soto and his force pushed inland. Having had experience with conquistadors in the past, including Narvaéz's expedition 21 years earlier, the Apalachee abandoned their towns in anticipation of the Spaniards' arrival.