The Survivors of the De Soto Expedition


empire in 1532, 39 percent were from that region, must have
motivated many Extremadurans to join de Soto.157 The same
motivation may explain the presence of the Portuguese, who came
from the other side of the Extremaduran border.

 Table 3.

 Places of Origin


Place of Origin
Spanish Provinces
 Andalucia
 Aragon
 Castilla la Nueva
 Extremadura
 Galicia
 Leon
 Vizcaya
Foreign
 Portugal
 France
 Italy

Other Foreigners

Survivors:
 origin known

Survivors:
 origin unknown

Total


Number Percent


12

7
41
3
11
4


29
1
16
99
7
26
10

11
1
1

4


240


100


17


257


 One important difference between the origin of the survivors
and that of other men engaged in different ventures in the New
World may be worthy of attention. When the Chilean historian
Mario G6ngora analyzed the conquerors active in Tierra Firme in
1519 he found that most came from Andalucia, the region where


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