Hernando DeSoto’s Treasures

[ErichTheHunter]

Has anyone ever heard rumors, stories or facts about Hernando DeSoto and his treasures? He became very wealthy from conquering the Incans and Nicaragua. Also said to have found hundreds of pounds of pearls in South Carolina/Georgia.

Any and all info would be appreciated! This is my first post on this forum

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[Icewing]

Welcome from Northwest Arkansas

 

[villagenut]

I watched a video documentary a long time back about a fellow who dug some Desoto artifacts and he tried to present his info to archaeologists but they discredited him and it all went sour. Don't remember much more about it, whether he was fake or not.

 

[ToddsPoint]

DeSoto did his thing in 1542. Probably not much left of any iron artifacts. His exact route is a mystery. He travelled up the Savannah River to a point where GA, SC, and NC meet and then headed west. My brother has a place near Clayton, GA but has never heard of any artifacts coming out of that area the were supposedly DeSoto related. Gary

 

[Curtis]

I know a guy who said one of his neighbors found Desoto's' sword in Georgia. Got it before the archeologist did.

 

[Ryano]

Welcome to the site !

I imagine De Soto's wealth was left behind in Spain before he embarked on his North American conquest. He did accumulate a lot of wealth from S. America but it wasn't his, it belonged to the crown. If you read his will that he wrote before leaving for Florida, his money is to given to the Church and the rest to his wife. Probably didn't bring any items of great value with him since his mission was to rape and pillage the countryside. When he died his men threw him in the Mississippi. It's written he was wrapped in blankets and weighed with sand so presumably his armor was stripped. If they didn't bother to bury his body (for whatever the reason) I think its unlikely they buried or cached his armor.

 

[reptwar1]

Welcome to the site !

I imagine De Soto's wealth was left behind in Spain before he embarked on his North American conquest. He did accumulate a lot of wealth from S. America but it wasn't his, it belonged to the crown. If you read his will that he wrote before leaving for Florida, his money is to given to the Church and the rest to his wife. Probably didn't bring any items of great value with him since his mission was to rape and pillage the countryside. When he died his men threw him in the Mississippi. It's written he was wrapped in blankets and weighed with sand so presumably his armor was stripped. If they didn't bother to bury his body (for whatever the reason) I think its unlikely they buried or cached his armor.

Old post I know but he was NOT buried in the river. That was merely a story to keep the natives from desecrating his grave. I know this because his burial site is not far from my house in Arkansas

 

[Salvor6]

A buddy of mine found a clump of fused Spanish silver coins on Cape Romano Island, FL. He thinks one of DeSoto's ships returning to Spain sank there. The GPS numbers are: 25 51.377'N, 81 40.390'W. There might be more there.

 

[Ryano]

Reptwar1 - well there might be a burial marker site but there’s no bones in the grave. He died of fever near present day McArthur AR and his men put his body in the river. It’s documented (one of his knights published a book upon return to Europe, and a diary made de Soto’s secretary was also published) by the survivors and they had no reason to lie that I can think of. Now he was in the ground for several days but the expedition suspected the Indians knew where, so he was dug up and sunk in the river.

I can’t imagine that if he was left in the earth and not been dug up.. if not by the Indians back then - then by archaeologists of the modern era. It would be a monumental discovery - but we don’t have the funeral evidence.

 

[: Michael-Robert.]

Hernando de SotoHernando de Soto was born around 1500 in the Extermadura region of Spain. De Soto was the second born son to a minor country noble or Hidalgo. He would learn in his youth the skills of horsemanship, reading, writing, and armed combat, but due to the laws of inheritance he would have to look outside of his estate for wealth and glory. At the age of 14, Hernando de Soto would leave Extermadura for Seville and enlist in an expedition set for the New World. He would arrive in present day Panama at the colony of Darien founded by his childhood hero Alviar Nunez de Balboa. De Soto would serve Balboa and the governor Pedrarias Davila as soldier of horse, where he would quickly distinguish himself. Pedrarias named El Furor Domini the scourge of God by his men would quickly strike out and eliminate many of his chief rivals within the colonial government, including Balboa his Son-in-Law. He would wage a brutal conquest over the native people of Central America conquering Panama and Nicaragua. De Soto would carefully navigate the time of political upheaval and executions and would rise to a position of prominence in the colonial government under Pedrarias. De Soto would game wealth and fame due to his partnerships with several men. Entering into a compania or partnership with Hernan Ponce de Leon, and Francisco Companon, De Soto would make a decent fortune ranching horses and trading and shipping Indian slaves. Atahualpa's capture at the battle of Cajamarca.A Chance for Immortality In 1530 on a failed expedition into South America, a down on his luck conquistador named Francisco Pizarro stumbled upon evidence of a rich and culturally advanced society in Peru called the Inca. Pizarro would fail in his petition to Pedrarias to lead expedition of conquest into Peru. Pizarro would call on Hernando de Soto and Hernan Ponce de Leon to lend horse cavalry and ships for the expedition as well as influence on Pedrarias to approve the expedition. In exchange for his services, De Soto would be named second-in-command of the expedition and receive a lion's share of the spoils of conquest. The largest obstacle would prove to be De Soto's old mentor Pedrarias, who would stand firm on his decision to not allow the expedition. De Soto would attempt a coup to unseat Pedrarias's power and would be thrown in prison and possibly executed. Fortunately for De Soto, Pedrarias would die in March of 1531, freeing De Soto and Ponce to outfit Pizarro's expedition. In 1532 Pizarro and De Soto would lead 300 soldiers into Peru to conquer an empire of millions. The Spanish would find that the Inca empire was experiencing a bloody civil war between two brothers, Atahualpa and Huascar, in which Atahualpa would win and become the Sapa Inca Emperor. Showing contempt for the Spanish, Atahualpa would meet with Pizarro at the Inca town of Cajamarca. Atahualpa would come unarmed and ultimately be captured by Pizarro in a bloody takeover. Atahaulpa and De Soto would become friends during the Inca Emperor's captivity passing time playing chess and teaching him Spanish. Pizarro would offer Atahualpa a chance at freedom for a great ransom in which the Inca Emperor would fill three rooms with gold, silver and precious gems totaling over 90 million dollars in today's money. For his troubles, Atahualpa would be tried and executed by Pizarro. De Soto would disagree with Pizarro's decision and be sent away to put down a false rebellion during Atahualpa’s trial conducted by Pizarro. De Soto would bitterly leave the expedition in 1535 after being denied governorship of the city of Cuzco. He would then travel to Spain and marry Donna Isabellade Bombadilla, a daughter of his old mentor, Pedrarias. In 1537 Hernando de Soto would meet with the Emperor Charles V and impress him with his tales from the Indies. Charles would later approve De Soto's request to govern and conquer a portion of the New world, a place named La Florida. De Soto would depart Spain in September 1537 to travel to Cuba where he would claim his title of Governor and begin forming his expedition to La Florida. In May 1539 De Soto would depart Havana and sail for a selected bay on Florida's west coast to begin the expedition that would cost him his fortune and his life.

 

[: Michael-Robert.]

In May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto’s army of soldiers, hired mercenaries, craftsmen, and clergy made landfall in Tampa Bay. They were met with fierce resistance of indigenous people protecting their homelands. De Soto’s quest for glory and gold would be a four year, four thousand mile odyssey of intrigue, warfare, disease, discovery that would form part of the history of the United States, and eventually lead to his death.