Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun : Hernando De Soto and the South's Ancient Chiefdoms

Between 1539 and 1542 Hernando de Soto led a small army on a desperate journey of exploration of almost four thousand miles across the U. S. Southeast. Until the 1998 publication of Charles M. Hudson’s foundational Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun , De Soto’s path had been one of history’s most intriguing mysteries. With this book, anthropologist Charles Hudson offers a solution to the question, “Where did de Soto go?” Using a new route reconstruction, for the first time the story of the de Soto expedition can be laid on a map, and in many instances it can be tied to specific archaeological sites. Arguably the most important event in the history of the Southeast in the sixteenth century, De Soto’s journey cut a bloody and indelible swath across both the landscape and native cultures in a quest for gold and personal glory. The desperate Spanish army followed the sunset from Florida to Texas before abandoning its mission. De Soto’s one triumph was that he was the first European to explore the vast region that would be the American South, but he died on the banks of the Mississippi River a broken man in 1542. With a new foreword by Robbie Ethridge reflecting on the continuing influence of this now classic text, the twentieth-anniversary edition of Knights is a clearly written narrative that unfolds against the exotic backdrop of a now extinct social and geographic landscape. Hudson masterfully chronicles both De Soto’s expedition and the native societies he visited. A blending of archaeology, history, and historical geography, this is a monumental study of the sixteenth-century Southeast. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 12 Foreword to Twentieth Anniversary Edition 16 Preface 30 Acknowledgments 34 CHAPTER 1. Separate Worlds: Spain and the American Southeast in the Sixteenth Century 40 "Spaniards" 42 "Indians" 50 Early Spanish Exploration of North America 70 CHAPTER 2. Hernando de Soto: The Man Who Would Be Marques of La Florida 78 Organization of the Expedition 86 Departure from San Lucar 89 Cuba 92 Final Preparations 96 CHAPTER 3. La Florida 101 Base Camp 105 Horses, Dogs, Pigs 111 Juan Ortiz 117 Northward from Tampa Bay 124 CHAPTER 4. Apalachee 127 Departure from Tampa Bay 128 The Swamp of Ocale 139 De Soto Leads a Contingent Northward 143 The Battle at Napituca 149 Anhayca, Principal Town of Apalachee 154 CHAPTER 5. Winter, 1539-1540 159 The Bay of the Horses 167 Marcos and Perico 168 The Return to Tampa Bay 169 Apalachee Resistance 177 The Chief of Apalachee 181 Maldonado Reconnoiters the Gulf Coast 183 CHAPTER 6. Cofitachequi 185 Capachequi 188 Toa 189 Ichisi 196 Ocute 201 The Wilderness of Ocute 204 Cofitachequi 211 CHAPTER 7. Coosa 224 Joara 224 The Cherokee-Speaking Peoples 229 Chiaha 238 Coosa 242 CHAPTER 8. Tascaluza 259 South from Coosa 259 Atahachi 268 Mabila 271 Attack 277 Counterattack 280 After toe Battle 282 CHAPTER 9. Chicaza 289 CHAPTER 10. Winter, 1540-1541 301 CHAPTER 11. Quizquiz, Casqui, Pacaha 310 Quizquiz 313 The Mississippi River 323 Casqui 326 Pacaha 332 North from Pacaha 342 CHAPTER 12. Utiangiie 349 Quiguate 350 Coligua 353 Cayas 355 Tula 359 Utiangiie 368 CHAPTER 13. Winter, 1541-1542 370 CHAPTER 14. Guachoya 374 Anilco 375 Guachoya 378 Quigualtam 380 The Massacre at Anilco 385 The Death of De Soto 388 CHAPTER 15. The River of Daycao 392 Chaguate 392 Naguatex 398 Aays 402 Guasco 406 The River of Daycao 409 Return to the Mississippi River 412 Aminoya 417 CHAPTER 16. Winter, 1542-1543 419 CHAPTER 17. Flight down the Mississippi River 426 The Canoes of Quigualtam 429 The Mouth of the Mississippi River 433 CHAPTER 18. To Mexico 437 The Gulf Coast 438 Pdnuco 442 Mexico City 448 CHAPTER 19. After the Expedition 450 The Survivors 451 Isabel de Bobadilla vs. Herndn Ponce de Leon 453 The Decline of the Southeastern Chiefdoms 456 The Lost World of the Southeastern Chiefdoms 465 Afterword 480 The Documentary Sources 480 History of Research on the De Soto Route 494 The U.S. De Soto Expedition Commission 499 Combining Archaeological and Historical Evidence 503 A More Accurate De Soto Route 505 Commissions and Controversies 511 Notes 522 Index 594 " Between 1539 and 1542, the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto led a small army on an expedition of almost four thousand miles across Southeastern America. De Soto’s path had been one of history’s most intriguing mysteries until the publication of Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun. Using a new route reconstruction, anthropologist Charles Hudson maps the story of the de Soto expedition, tying the route to a number of specific archaeological sites. De Soto’s journey cut a bloody and indelible swath across both the landscape and native cultures in a quest for gold and glory. The desperate Spanish army followed the sunset from Florida to Texas before abandoning its mission. De Soto’s one triumph was that he was the first European to explore the vast region that would be the American South. But in 1542, he died a broken man on the banks of the Mississippi River. In this classic text, Hudson masterfully chronicles both De Soto’s expedition and the native societies he visited. The narrative unfolds against the exotic backdrop of a now extinct social and geographic landscape. A blending of archaeology, history, and historical geography, this is a monumental study of the sixteenth-century Southeast." Between 1539 and 1542 Hernando de Soto led a small army on a journey of exploration of almost four thousand miles across the US Southeast. Until the 1998 publication of Charles M. Hudson's Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun/em>, De Soto's path had been a mystery. With this book, anthropologist Hudson offers a solution to the question, ""Where did de Soto go? "This monumental work, a blending of archeology and history, is the most thorough study of De Soto's expedition produced since the 1930s. For the first time De Soto's journey can be laid on a map and tied to specific archeological sites"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.