Fear Stricken

Fear Stricken. Florida De Soto Trail. , It’s August 15, 1539… , Hernando de Soto and his scouts arrive at the Indian village of Cholupaha. It lies along the present-day Santa Fe River, which runs through here – , My Men captured several Indians and questioned them about the Apalachee chiefdom to the west. They spoke of Pánfilo de Narváez, a conquistador who came through the area 10 years earlier. Their tales of his conflicts with the Apalachee scared many of my soldiers, and the demanded to turn back. I stood firm, which seemed to calm the men. They have taken to calling this place, El Rio de las Discordias - The River of Discords. , ”All were saddened by the news of Narváez and advised the governor [De Soto] to return to the port and leave the land of Florida; so that he might [not] get lost as had Narváez if he went on. To this the Governor answered that he would not turn back until seeing with his own eyes what they [Indians] told him, which he could not believe, and that we should be ready saddled.” , - Account by a Gentleman of Elvas , The De Soto Chronicles , The Conquistador Trail , Conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez came to La Florida 10 years before De Soto. He was known for his brutality and cruelty towards indigenous peoples. With approximately 300 armed soldiers, he inflicted great pain and destruction on the Native Americans. Due to constant attacks by Apalachee warriors, Narváez’s party was forced to leave La Florida and escape to Mexico. , The Native Path , The native peoples of La Florida made their clothing from materials found in nature. Men wore loincloths of cured animal skins as well as cloaks and headdresses fashioned from bird feathers. Women wore clothing woven from Spanish moss, palm fiber, and other natural materials. They also wore adornments made of shell or copper and pierced their ears with bone and spools of wood.