Hernando de Soto, one of the richest men on Earth from the 1530's Conquest of Peru, explored North America for a seaway to China to trade Spain's New World gold. The first Conquistador to do so, he followed trails which we use as highways. His people described extensive native villages along their way at places that are cities again today. DeSoto's trails through 18 States are detailed here.   Cabeza de Vaca had visited America's Gulf Coast shoreline 10 years earlier. While in Houston (circled on map, above right), visiting Natives convinced him that a "wealthy" tribe and an ocean were located north of there. After meeting with Coronado and DeSoto, in Mexico and Spain, their trails would lead there. Finding only hostile natives, both would reverse direction directly above Houston. Coronado went home.   DeSoto's huge army landed in Florida in 1539. They circled thru Georgia, South and North Carolina, Tennessee, North Georgia and Alabama searching for gold along their way to supply ships at Mobile Bay. They lost their spoils in the fires of battle just above Mobile. DeSoto led his demoralized army due north, away from the ships and into Tennessee, to prevent their escape.   In 1541, DeSoto trekked north thru Kentucky and Indiana; his scouts as far as Chicago. NOT finding an ocean there, and thereby a passage to China as DeSoto had anticipated, but Lake Michigan instead, he marched southwest, thru Illinois, still searching for treasures and an ocean to westward.   When DeSoto sighted the Mississippi River, which obviously drained a continent and NOT an island as he had surmised, in disgust he trudged west thru Missouri, searching for Vaca's legendary "wealthy" tribe.   Sickened by hostile natives in the Ozark Mountains, DeSoto turned south for escape. He died in Arkansas in 1542. His army fled toward Mexico City, Spain's nearest outpost on the continent. They passed thru Louisiana and Texas; scouts as far as San Antonio. Not finding enough food or water to proceed, they retreated back to Arkansas.   His army built boats then drifted down the Great River, skirting Mississippi. Attacked, the army paddled downstream, thru Louisiana, then along the Texas Coast to Mexico in 1543. Half of the men survived. Spanish armies were NEVER sent deep into America after DeSoto and Coronado. That is reason enough to suppose that they searched the better part of it. After all, Spain explored and/or colonized ALL of the New World elsewhere. England and France would continue searching for a seaway to China for the next century, allowing Spain to plunder the New World elsewhere.           Millions of others have visited here!                        THE COMPLETE REPORT     ENDORSEMENTS    FOREWARD    FOR SCHOLARS    TEXT ONLY    TEACHERS    LINKS      FOR KIDS      GRADES: 1-4 5-8       BIOGRAPHY     IMAGES:ANCIENT, NEW, COLOR