Hernando De Soto
Hernando De Soto was a famous explorer from the 1500's. He was well known because he was the first explorer to venture into Georgia. Hernando was born in Extremadura, Spain in the year 1500. He was part of the expeditions to Panama and Nicaragua. He also played an important role in the conquest of the Incas, and he became rich after this. De Soto really wanted to be recognized and receive glory similar to that of Francisco Pizarro when Pizarro was finding and defeating the Incas. Hernando returned to the Americas and landed in La Florida, now called Florida. He traveled and explored most of the South Eastern part of America, and walked many miles in search of riches and spreading religion. He marched with his army, and would kill Native American tribes that did not cooperate. He is responsible for the genocide of many of Americas tribes, and he also found the Mississippi River during his exploration. He was believed to have died from disease on May 21, 1542 on the western banks of the Mississippi. Despite all his searching, he never found riches in America.