
Instances & Rumors of Gold in the De Soto Expedition Chronicles
The surviving narratives of Hernando de Soto’s 1539–1542 expedition record several moments when Native Americans mentioned gold (or the Spaniards believed gold was present). Below are all instances found in the primary chronicles of Garcilaso de la Vega, the anonymous “Gentleman of Elvas,” and Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés (based on Rodrigo Ranjel’s diary). Each entry describes what […]