Hernando de Soto’s Expedition to La Florida (1539-1542)
The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto (c. 1500-1542) landed on the west coast of Florida on 30 May 1539, hoping to find wealthy kingdoms to conquer and plunder. His crew journeyed for over four years in southeastern North America, savaging the local peoples, but ultimately returned home empty-handed. They found the region to be filled with dozens of strong agricultural societies, but there were no rich, glittering states to vanquish.
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