The Survivors of the De Soto Expedition


 Castejon, Francisco de. The existence of a Florida survivor
with this name is well documented, for he testified in Mexico on
two occasions, one in 1547, and another in 1560. In the first he
asserted he was born in Soria around 1510. From both declarations
it is clear that he participated in the expedition and discovery of
Florida led by Hemando de Soto, whose death he witnessed, after
which he left with the other survivors for New Spain. Both in 1547
and in 1560, Castejon declared he lived in Mexico and he signed
his testimony.44 Francisco de Castrejon, with an added "r", is
listed as the son of Antonio de Castrejon and Francisca de Licardo,
citizens of Soria, SR-317. There is a survivor of de Soto's
expedition named Castrejon but from Astorga, listed in Smith-297.
It appears he preferred to sign Castejon, if the scribe who wrote the
mentioned documents spelled his name correctly.

 Castro, Juan de. Son of Pedro de Castro and Isabel de
Turrenco, citizen of Benavente, SR-303. This soldier may be the
same Castro from Castilla la Vieja, cited among the survivors of
the expedition, Smith-296.

 Castro, Castro del. Survivor from Garciamufioz, Smith-295.

 Coles, Juan. Son of Juan Coles and Luisa Rodriguez, citizen
of Zafra, SR-323. Smith-294 adds that this survivor of the
expedition was a tailor from Zafra. His Relaci6n was one of the
most important sources of written information for Garcilaso de la
Vega, who, in The Inca's preface, mentioned how it was saved
from destruction at the shop of a printer in C6rdoba. In Mexico,
Coles wrote that "a citizen of Mexico named Xaramillo, took into
his house eighteen men, all from Extremadura, and he clothed
them with the fine broadcloth of Segovia, and that to each one he
gave a bed with mattresses, sheets, and blankets and pillows, a
comb and brush, and everything else needful for a soldier, and that
all the city had been greatly pained to see them come clothed in
deerskins and cow [buffalo] hides, and that they did them this
honour and kindness for the many labors they knew they had
undergone in Florida." 45


24