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Show THE tect meee AR 4 iy ; H FIRST SPANISH EXPLORERS DD Here he found an Indian village in which was a great communal house capable of sheltering more than three hundred persons.. In the explorations following his landing, THE EXPEDITION LANDS ON’ Narvaez lost nearly all of the memTHE COAST OF FLORIDA bers of his expedition. The only survivors of whom there is any record were Alvar Nuiiez Cabeza de Vaca, Andrés Dorantes, a native of Béjar, Alonzo del Castillo Maldonado, a native of Salamanca, and a negro, Estevan by name, a native of Azamor or Asemmur, on the west coast of Morocco, who was the slave of Dorantes,®*® and Juan Ortiz. After many trials and a long captivity by the Indians, the first four *° found opportunity for escape, crossing from the coast of Texas to the Pacific ocean, arriving on the first day of April, 1536, at San Miguel de Culiacan, where they were received by Melchior Diaz, the alealde of San Miguel, ‘‘with great humanity and with tears, praising God for the marvellous things they had performed.’’ On the 24th day of July, 1536, the survivors finally reached the City of Mexico, where they were most royally entertained by the viceroy, Don Antonio de Mendoza, and by Hernando Cortés, the Marquis del Valle himself. Juan Ortiz, who had been enticed ashore by the Indians, was rescued by De Soto, in 1539, but he died before the expedition returned to civilization. During his stay in the City of Mexico, Alvar Nufiez and Dorantes occupied themselves in making a report to the Royal Audiencia of Narvaez landed is established without much, if any doubt, as Tampa Bay, on the western coast of Florida, and was named by the Spaniards —the Bay of the Cross. He disembarked on the northern shore, and marched inland towards the north.’’ 89 Hodge, F. W., Ibid, p.4: ‘‘ Andrés Dorantes de Carranca, son of Pablo, a native of Béjar del Castafiar, in Estremadura, who had received a commission as captain of infantry on the recommendation of Don Alvaro de Zufiiga, Duke of Béjar; Captain Alonzo del Castillo Maldonado, of Salamanca, the son of Doctor Castillo and Aldonza Maldonado; and Estevan, or Estevanico, a blackamoor of Asemmur, or Azamor, on the west coast of Morocco, the slave of Dorantes. ’ 40 Hodge, F. W., Ibid, p. 4: ‘‘ With the exception of those who returned to the ships, these four men were the only ones of the entire expedition who ever again entered a civilized community. ’’ Hodge, F. W., Ibid, p. 10: ‘‘There was another survivor of the inland ex- pedition of Narv&ez, Juan Ortiz by name. This Spaniard, who had been enticed ashore by the Indians of Florida, led practically the life of a slave, like his countrymen on the Texas main, until 1539, when he was rescued by De Soto, but he died before the expedition returned to civilization.’’ |