The Survivors of the De Soto Expedition


 8. Conclusions

 Part II of this study analyzed the characteristics of the Florida
survivors. Based upon these findings, the typical conqueror who
accompanied Hernando de Soto in that venture was a male
Spaniard born either in Extremadura or Castilla, 24 years old at the
beginning of the expedition, and literate or at least knew how to
sign his name. He was most likely a commoner by birth and, in a
few cases, an hidalgo. Not being a military leader or an
administrator, his chances of survival were reduced to roughly
fifty percent. From Florida he went to the port of Pinuco in New
Spain, and most likely he arrived in the great city of Tenochtitlan
which was subsequently renamed Mexico City. He remained in
Mexico or proceeded to Peru, married a daughter of a known
conqueror and settled down.

 Had de Soto lived or had his successor, Luis de Moscoso,
decided to remain and settle the newly discovered land, this typical
Florida conqueror, as J. R. Swanton pointed out, would not have
missed the one great opportunity of his life, and his country missed
its opportunity along with him.161


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