Hernando de Soto (c. 1500-1542) was a Spanish conquistador who fought in Panama and Nicaragua and accompanied Francisco Pizarro (c. 1478-1541) in the conquest of the Inca civilization in Peru. He famously explored North America, including the Mississippi River where he died in 1542 never having found the fabled golden cities that had driven him on for four years of exploration.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/Hernando_de_Soto/.