Answer:
On May 1, 1540, Hernando de Soto and his army approached the first major
town of Cofitachequi, one of the South's wealthiest and most storied Native
chiefdoms. The Spaniards had conceived of this journey many months earlier
when Native Floridians told them of a chiefdom rich in silver and gold and
ruled by a powerful woman. Such riches were the expedition's raison detre; conquistador Hernando de Soto, veteran of Pizarro's ruthless campaign against the
Incas, was willing to go to any length to secure even greater wealth and fame.
Marching northeast from peninsular Florida, the expedition had endured arduous travel, intense hunger, and bellicose Native warriors. After traversing an
uninhabited area that stretched from the Oconee River in modern central Georgia to the Congaree River in South Carolina, the expedition reached Hymahi,
the first village subject to Cofitachequi. Perhaps seeking to protect their chief,
the people of Hymahi refused to tell the Spaniards the way to Cofitachequi, so
de Soto's men captured several of them. De Soto ordered his soldiers to burn
~e captives alive one by one until someone disclosed Cofitachequi's location.
Finally, a villager relented, and others informed the Spaniards that the chief was
aware of their presence and awaited their arrival.'
Explanation:
