Discover the Unexpected: 13 Incredible Fun Facts About Hernando de Soto You Never Knew!

1. De Soto: Inca Conqueror Extraordinaire

Before Hernando de Soto became the "Swiper No Swiping" of Native American tribes, he was busy conquering the Inca Empire with his buds in Peru: It turns out that he served as a captain on Francisco Pizarro's 1532 expedition, played a role in setting up the first Spanish naval armada in the Pacific Ocean, and even helped sieging the Inca capital of Cusco from Lake Titicaca.
Source => georgiahistory.com

2. De Soto vs. Indiana Jones

Step aside, Indiana Jones – Hernando de Soto's adventure in the swamps of Florida makes searching for the Ark of the Covenant seem like a weekend stroll! Ditching the whips and fedoras for a Spanish conquistador getup, de Soto and his crew set off in a quest for hidden treasure: Alas, they discovered no gold or silver, but their journey led to the first extensive exploration of the southeastern United States, gathering valuable intel on the native tribes and geography of the untamed region.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know Francisco Pizarro named Lima "Ciudad de los Reyes" (City of the Kings) after a Catholic holiday? Discover the intriguing story behind this royal title!

=> Fun Facts about Francisco-Pizarro

3. De Soto's Pokémon Go Adventure

Imagine Hernando de Soto playing a 16th-century version of Pokémon Go, searching for mythical gold instead of elusive Pokémon: De Soto's expedition was the first European journey to reach the Mississippi River, interacting with Native American tribes along the way and inadvertently providing key insights that laid the foundation for future colonization and settlement in America.
Source => npshistory.com

4. Tropical Fruit Connoisseur de Soto

As the fabled "Hernando de Soto: Tropical Fruit Connoisseur" wandered the lands, he played a game of "Guess the Fruit" with his band of merrymen, stumbling upon palate-pleasers like mangoes and papayas, and oddly enough, a pear impersonator trio: Hidden in the lushness of Florida, Hernando de Soto discovered exotic fruits such as mangoes, guavas, and papayas, along with a royal pear-like indigenous plant that wowed his senses with its unique aroma and flavor.
Source => nutritionalgeography.faculty.ucdavis.edu

5. De Soto's Epic Road Trip

Rumors say that Hernando de Soto and his crew stopped to ask for directions, but still ended up on one of the longest road trips in history: This epic journey spanned over 4,000 miles and four years from 1539-1543, covering ten modern US states as they searched for wealth and colonization opportunities, even becoming the first Europeans to high-five the Mississippi River.
Source => georgiahistory.com

6. Survivor: North America Edition

If Hernando de Soto's expedition were a reality TV show, it would be called "Survivor: North America Edition", complete with dramatic battles against scurvy, dysentery, and fever: Despite the testing times, the intrepid explorer and his crew persevered to cover over 4,000 miles and ventured deep into the continent's interior.
Source => georgiahistory.com

7. De Soto: Pioneer of River Crossing

Before GPS and Google Maps were even a twinkle in their inventor's eyes, a Spaniard named Hernando de Soto was out there making his own way across uncharted waters: Turns out, de Soto and his crew were the first Europeans to cross the mighty Mississippi River back in 1541, paving the way for future explorers of North America.
Source => georgiahistory.com

8. The Original Dora the Explorer

Before Dora even dreamt of exploring, a daring Spaniard played the original "backpack" game through uncharted territory: Hernando de Soto traipsed around 4,000 miles of La Florida, discovering and impacting the lives of numerous Native American tribes along his epic expedition.
Source => georgiahistory.com

9. Scrooge McDuck: Conquistador Edition

Move over, Scrooge McDuck: Hernando de Soto was swimming in riches back in the 16th-century conquistador style! The serious reveal: de Soto earned his fortune as part of Francisco Pizarro's expedition to conquer the Inca Empire, receiving the third-largest share of the plunder, after Pizarro and his brother Hernando, due to his impactful role in the conquest.
Source => worldhistory.org

10. De Soto's Selfie-less Discovery

Before Christopher Columbus decided sailing westward was the new eastward, there was Hernando de Soto, exploring the vast expanses of America's southeast like a GPS-less road tripper trying to find the world's largest ball of twine: De Soto led a major European expedition into the present-day Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas, clashing with native tribes in search of riches and becoming the first to document the existence of the Mississippi River, although he tragically died of a fever in 1542 before he could update his Facebook status with a selfie by it.
Source => gilderlehrman.org

11. De Soto's Porky Pandemic

Talk about hogging the spotlight: Hernando de Soto accidentally unleashed a porky pandemic on North America by introducing domestic swine, many of which went full Houdini and escaped into the wild. These rebel pigs set up shop in the Southeast, and now, oink-spiring as it sounds, wild hogs can be found in at least 45 states, some still hogging their lineage back to de Soto's time.
Source => mdwfp.com

12. The Big Misdirect: De Soto vs. Tribes

Talk about getting lost in translation: Hernando de Soto and his crew thought they had the Native Americans in La Florida all figured out, but instead of finding treasure troves of gold and silver or useful guides, they received a big scoop of misdirection and wariness from the tribes! The serious reveal: After facing armed resistance from these natives, de Soto's party did manage to introduce horses and pigs to the New World - but the unwanted side effect was the catastrophic spread of European diseases, wiping out up to 95% of the indigenous populations.
Source => georgiahistory.com

13. De Soto's Power Trip with Pigs

Forget your emotional support animals; Hernando de Soto went all out with his porky pals on a power trip: Accompanied by an entourage of over 500 pigs, de Soto's exploration of La Florida saw the swine not only provide protein sustenance but also as a trade currency with native tribes, inadvertently leading to the introduction of wild boars in the Southeastern United States.
Source => georgiahistory.com