Date:

c. 1851

Title:

Map of the route of De Soto

Cartographer:

Eastman, S.

Summary:

This map drawn by Captain Eastman was published in Schoolcraft's Historical and Statistical Information etc (6 volumes) in Philadelphia in 1851-1853 and again in 1854-1857. It shows De Soto's route of exploration in 1539. This area was also explored by Panfilo de Narvaez and Alvar Nuñoez Cabeza de Vaca.

De Soto was a Spanish Conquistador who accompanied other famous Spaniards such as Cordoba and Pizarro. He assisted in the charting of the coast of Central America in 1516-20. He was appointed governor of Cuba and given claim to all the lands north of Florida. He was not successful. He died in 1542 and was buried in the Mississippi River. His assistant Luis de Moscoso led the few survivors westward the down the Rio Grande to the Gulf of Mexico and Tampico, Mexico. The failure of the voyage to find a lot of riches discouraged the Spanish from further exploration in this area for many years.

Note:

Image from Waltman, Carl and Alan Wexler. Who Was Who in World Exploration, Facts on File, New York and U.K. 1992.

Coverage Time:

1500s