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Burial of De Soto on the Mississippi
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Burial of De Soto on the Mississippi
Spanish soldiers lower the wrapped body of Hernando De Soto into the Mississippi River. A soldier holds a torch as a priest reads from the Bible. His men did this in the dead of night, and weighted his corpse down with sand, as they were trying to conceal his death by fever from the Guachoya people, whom among other native peoples he had been trying to convince he was the son of the Sun, to varying success. Date: 1542
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Media ID 23089676
© Mary Evans Picture Library
1542 Body Conceal Corpse Dead Explorer Fever Hernando Holds Lower Mississippi Priest Reads Sand Soto Torch Weighted Wrapped
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In the stillness of the dead of night in 1542, Spanish soldiers performed a solemn ritual along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. The wrapped body of Hernando de Soto, the renowned explorer of the New World, was being prepared for a clandestine burial. De Soto, who had been attempting to convince the Guachoya people that he was the son of the Sun, had succumbed to a fever. To conceal his death from the native population, his men chose to perform the burial in secrecy. A soldier, holding a torch aloft, illuminated the scene as a priest read from the Bible. The men, dressed in their armor, carefully lowered De Soto's body into the river, ensuring it was weighed down with sand to prevent it from resurfacing. The weighty corpse sank into the murky waters, marking the end of an era for the Spanish conquistador. De Soto's expedition, which began in 1539, had been marked by both triumphs and tragedies. He had led his men through uncharted territories, encountering new peoples and cultures, and claimed vast lands in the name of the Spanish crown. However, his interactions with the native populations were often fraught with conflict and misunderstanding. This poignant moment, captured in this photograph, serves as a reminder of the complexities of the New World exploration and the human stories that lie beneath the historical accounts. The Mississippi River, which had been a source of wonder and discovery for De Soto and his men, now became the final resting place for the legendary explorer.
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