Person

Hernando de Soto

c. 1500–1542 · 16th century

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador who took part in the conquest of Peru and in 1539 led a large expedition into the south-eastern interior of North America. Over four years his army marched through the Mississippian chiefdoms, wintering at the Apalachee capital, and reached the Mississippi River, where he died in 1542.

Hernando de Soto
Image: John Sartain · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 6 state histories

Etowah chiefdomApalachee chiefdomMoundville chiefdomCofitachequiCoosa chiefdomChickasaw Nation

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hernando de Soto. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hernando-de-soto
MLA
“Hernando de Soto.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hernando-de-soto. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Hernando de Soto.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hernando-de-soto.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hernando de Soto’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/hernando-de-soto (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻