5.+Biographies+of+Explorers

Birth: 1460 Death: 1521
 * Juan Ponce De Leon**

Juan Ponce de Leon was a very famous Spanish explorer known for his search for the Fountain of Youth. He was the first European explorer to set foot in Florida and even gave Florida its name! Ponce De Leon was said to be a very brutal conquistador and was reprimanded several times for his treatment of Native Americans.

Birth: 1478 Death: 1528
 * Panfilo De Narvaez**

Panfilo De Narvaez was also a Spanish explorer and soldier. He aided in conquering Cuba and was given the land of Florida by Charles V as a reward. He brought 300 men on an expedition to Florida and landed near Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, inclement weather and clashes with Native Americans substantially thinned his crew. Narvaez and his men tried to make it to Mexico, but died en route. His expedition was a failed one.

Birth: 1519 Death: 1574
 * Pedro Menendez De Aviles**



Pedro Menendez De Aviles was a Spanish Naval Officer. He was appointed as the first Governor of Florida and founded the city of St. Augustine, which is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States. Much of his time in FLorida was spent in search of his son, Juan, who had been shipwrecked in the area in 1561. De Aviles was one of the first Europeans to negotiate a peace treaty with the Calusa Indian Tribe. The treaty called for De Aviles to marry the High Chief's sister. De Aviles inablity to adhere to this treaty, and his further negotiations with the Calusa's enemies, the Togobagas, caused an all out Native war.

Birth: 1496 or 1497 Death: 1542
 * Hernando de Soto**



Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He was the first European to document his explorations of the land west of the Mississippi River. de Soto is said to have landed on the West Coast of Florida in the area that is now Manatee County. He and his men traveled north through Florida, encountering Natives on their way. de Soto had heard talk of gold to the north east of Florida, and he and his men made their way through the Panhandle of Florida and into present day Georgia. He explored much of the Mississippi River and succumbed to a tropical fever and died in 1542.