Topic
De Soto's exploration of North America
Hernando de Soto is a Spanish explorer and conquistador who, while leading the first European expedition to the territory of the modern-day United States, is the first European to discover the Mississippi River.
A vast undertaking, de Soto's expedition ranges throughout the southeastern United States searching for gold and a passage to China.
De Soto dies in 1542 on the banks of the Mississippi River at present-day Lake Village, Arkansas.