Los Sobrevivientes de La Florida


 Argote, Alonso de. Son of Francisco Gonzalez de Argote
and Florencia Morana, citizens of Astorga, SR-331. According to
Smith-297 he survived the expedition and indeed he did, for he is
found in Mexico in 1557 acting as a witness. There he declared he
had been bor more than 35 years previous in the city of Astorga,
Spain. There he enrolled with de Soto and went to Cuba and
Florida, serving in the latter for five years and particularly in the
war against the natives of Mobila. Argote did not add much about
his activities in Mexico and signed his declaration.19

 Arias. Ailing man from Galicia who arrived in Panuco,
Smith-298.

 Arias Davila, Gomez. This survivor is not listed by
Hernandez de Biedma nor is there a record of his registering in
Sevilla to sail to the Indies. He is, however, mentioned repeatedly
by Garcilaso and at least once in Rangel's chronicle, described as
being from Segovia.20 According to his own account given in
Lima, Peru, in 1561, he made the trip from Sevilla to Cuba and
from there to Florida in the armada organized by de Soto. After
nearly five years of hardship, he went with others to discover the
sea and their way to New Spain. After Mexico he went to Peru
where he witnessed some of the services rendered by Juan
Cordero, another of de Soto's men. He signed his deposition
adding, in the year 1561, that he was 47 years old.21 Arias was to
become one of the most successful men to survive the Florida
expedition. After Mexico, he went to Nicaragua where he was
selected by the royal Audiencia to lead the group of men it was
sending to Peru to reinforce the Viceroy's troops that were to
oppose Gonzalo Pizarro's uprising. For all the services he rendered
to the crown, Arias was rewarded the right to collect tribute from
the Chupacho Indians in Peru, and later, he became the governor
of the Guinuco province. He married Maria Castellon y de Lara
and had a son, Juan, who was born a few years before his death in
1563.

 Arias de Canedo, Pedro. Another survivor not mentioned in
 the list of Hernandez de Biedma who may be the son of Diego


15