ILLUSTRATIONS BOARD OF ADVISERS CONTRIBUTORS FOREWORD By Lawrence A. Clayton PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS NOTES ON TRANSLATIONS AND NAMES INTRODUCTION: THE DE SOTO EXPEDITION, A CULTURAL CROSSROADS By Paul E. Hoffman THE ACCOUNT BY A GENTLEMAN FROM ELVAS 19 Translated and Edited by James Alexander Robertson With Footnotes and Updates to Robertson''s Notes by John H. Hann RELATION OF THE ISLAND OF FLORIDA 221 By Luys Hernandez de Biedma Newly Translated and Edited by John E. Worth With Footnotes by John E. Worth and Charles Hudson ACCOUNT OF THE NORTHERN CONQUEST AND DISCOVERY OF HERNANDO DE SOTO 247 By Rodrigo Rangel (drawn from Historia general y natural de las Indias by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes) Newly Translated and Edited by John E. Worth With Footnotes by John E. Worth and Charles Hudson THE CANETE FRAGMENT: ANOTHER NARRATIVE OF HERNANDO DE SOTO 307 by Eugene Lyon PARALLEL ITINERARY OF THE EXPEDITION Originally published as Appendix E in the Final Report of the United States De Soto Expedition Commission by John R.

Swanton Selected Items from NARRATIVES OF THE CAREER OF HERNANDO DE SOTO IN THE CONQUEST OF FLORIDA Translated by Buckingham Smith for the Bradford Club, New York, 1866 CONVEYANCE OF DOWER BY THE.WIDOW OF PEDAARIAS DAVILA TO HERNANDO DE SOTO, IN CONSIDERATION OF THE ESPOUSAL OF HER DAUGHTER 357 LETTER OF HERNANDO DE SOTO RESPECTING CONCESSIONS HE DESIRES SHALL BE OBTAINED FOR HIM AT COURT CONCESSION MADE BY THE KING OF SPAIN TO HERNANDO DE SOTO OF THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA AND CONQUEST OF FLORIDA, WITH THE TITLE OF ADELANTADO 359 ROYAL CEDULA PERMITTING JUAN DE ANASCO TO TRAFFIC WITH THE INDIANS OF FLORIDA, SO LONG AS THERE ARE NO DUTIES ON IMPORTS IN THAT PROVINCE 365 WILL OF HERNANDO DE SOTO 366 LETTER TO THE KING OF SPAIN FROM OFFICERS AT HAVANA IN THE ARMY OF DE SOTO 372 LETTER OF HERNANDO DE SOTO AT TAMPA BAY TO THE JUSTICE AND BOARD OF MAGISTRATES IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA 375 LETTER TO CHARLES V FROM THE JUSTICE AND BOARD OF MAGISTRATES OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA, GIVING A STATEMENT OF OCCURRENCES ON THE ISLAND 378 EL ADELANTADO DON HERNANDO DE SOTO 383 A short biography, originally published by the Junta de Extremadura (Extremadura Enclave 92) in their Cuadernos Populares, November 1988. By Rocio Sanchez Rubio Translated by Eduardo Kortright HERNANDO DE SOTO: A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY 421 By Paul E. Hoffman SOME NEW TRANSLATIONS OF DE SOTO DOCUMENTS FROM THE GENERAL ARCHIVE OF THE INDIES, SEVILLE 461 Selected and Introduced by Rocio Sanchez Rubio Translated by David Bost NAMING OF CAPTAIN HERNANDO DE SOTO AS LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF CUZCO, 1534 467 CEDULA REAL PERMITTING THE SHIPS GOING TO THE INDIES TO GO IN THE COMPANY OF DE SOTO''S ARMADA CEDULA REAL REQUIRING THE SHIPS GOING TOWARD THE INDIES TO DO SO IN THE COMPANY OF HERNANDO DE SOTO, 1538 469 AUTHORIZATION FOR DONA ISABEL DE BOBADILLA TO BRING THREE SLAVE WOMEN TO THE ISLAND OF CUBA FOR HER SERVICE INTERROGATION FOR THE CONCESSION OF THE HABIT OF SANTIAGO TO HERNANDO DE SOTO, 1538 470 POWER GRANTED BY THE ADELANTADO HERNANDO DE SOTO TO HIS WIFE, ISABEL DE BOBADILLA, 1539 INVENTORY OF THE ASSETS LEFT BY THE ADELANTADO HERNANDO DE SOTO FOLLOWING HIS DEATH, 1543 INDIAN PROPER NAMES IN THE FOUR NARRATIVES Originally published in the Final Report of The United States De Soto Expedition Commission 499 By John R. Swanton GLOSSARY 503 INTRODUCTION TO BIBLIOGRAPHY OF DE SOTO STUDIES By Jeffrey P. Brain and Charles R. Ewen 507 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF DE SOTO STUDIES By Jeffrey P. Brain and Charles R.

Ewen 5 I 5 INDEX 551 THE "DE SOTO MAP" Endpapers HERNANDO DE SOTO, CA. 1495-1542 Vlll A COIN FROM DE SOTO''S FIRST WINTER CAMP 71 SPANIARDS MEET WITH A MISSISSIPPIAN CHIEF 79 THE HERNANDO DE SOTO EXPEDITION ENCOUNTERS CHIEF TASCALUSA 97 MONOLITHIC AX I02 SPANISH SWORDS I03 DE SOTO''S ROUTE IN NORTH AMERICA BY ROCIO SANCHEZ RUBIO 169 SPANISH SWORDSMAN, ARQUEBUSIER, AND PIKEMAN ABOUT 1540 2 34 SPANISH GLASS TRADE BEADS 286 A "CLARKSDALE" BELL 287 A SPANISH MAN-AT-ARMS 295 DELISLE''S MAP OF LOUISIANE, 1718 419.