Hernando De Soto was born in Spain, around 1496. In 1519 he went into service with the adventurer Francisco Pizarro, a union that was to last 13 years.

Hernando De Soto was young and extremely ambitious. He first made his name as a slave trader, forging partnerships with Francisco Campanon and Hernan Ponce de Leon, whilst building himself a fortune in Nicaragua and Panama.

Hernando De Soto gained control of Nicaragua by defeating a rival, Gil Gonzalez Davila. He then heard that there was gold along the Pacific Coast and so he joined with Pizarro, exchanging his ships for a position of lieutenant under Pizarro’s command. They went on to Peru in 1532 where De Soto took command of part of the fleet that defeated the Incas. He then became the first European to meet with Atahualpa, the Incan Emperor.

Later, De Soto led expeditions to America, looking for a legendary empire, said to be full of riches. He discovered the Mississippi River and also charted large areas of America that had previously been unknown, but never

did find any treasure. De Soto died on the return journey to Florida in 1542.

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