Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun: Hernando de Soto and the South's Ancient Chiefdoms
Hernando de Soto's tortuous and futile expedition, from 1539 to 1543, in search of imaginary cities of gold marked the first significant European penetration of what was to become the American South. In his previous work, coauthored with Jerald T. Milanich (Hernando de Soto and the Indians of Florida, LJ 1/93), he made use of the archaeological and documentary evidence to establish part of the long-debated route of this epic trek, as well as the "social geography" of the now extinct native peoples. In this long-anticipated study, the author completes in detail the story of the expedition, its route (which went as far as Texas), and the impact on the native chiefdoms. For the latter, contact with the Old World was an "unimaginable calamity," leading to a long decline brought about by military assault, subsequent destabilization, and epidemic disease. This scholarly work, written in an accessible narrative style is likely to be the definitive work on this subject; highly recommended for public and academic libraries.?William F. Young, SUNY at Albany Lib.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.