It`s June 20, 1539

Saved from Slavery
“And as the [
soldiers] ran f
orth against
them , the Ind
ians, fleeing, p
lunged into th
forest , and on
e
e of them cam
e forth to the
road shouting
and saying ‘S
irs, for the lov
of God and o
e
f St . Mary do
not kill me: I
am a Christia
n , like you , a
nd I am a na
of Seville, and
tive
my name is Ju
an Ortiz.’ ”
— Account
It’s June 20, 1539...
Juan Ortiz, a lost Spaniard
from an earlier expedition
with Pánfilo de Narváez,
is found by De Soto’s men
not far from here. He tells
his story —
Ten years ago, I was
captured by Chief Ucita.
I later escaped to the
village of Mocoso, with
the aid of Chief Ucita’s
daughter, who had saved
my life. Living among
the people of Mocoso,
I assumed their dress
and traditional tattoos.
Speaking several Indian
languages, I helped
De Soto communicate
with tribes in the area.
by Rodrigo R
angel
The D
N
at
io
n
al
M
em
or
ia l
e Soto Chro
nicles
Library of Congress
De
to
So
Replicas of typical steel shield and halberd
carried by many conquistadors
The rescue of Juan Ortiz
“Sevilla! Sevilla!” by George Gibbs (1898)
It was common for
chiefs in La Florida
to use war captives
and shipwrecked
Spaniards as slaves.
These prisoners served
the village as a source
of labor or as a trade
commodity. Ortiz was
captured by the Ucita
while on a mission
to find the lost
Narváez expedition.
South Florida Museum
The Native Path
Pottery and shell tools were common
household items amongst tribes
in South Florida.
De Soto National Memorial
The Conquistador Trail
Reenactment of De Soto’s landing,
De Soto National Memorial in Bradenton, Florida
Just like other Spanish conquistadors from
this time period, when De Soto entered
a village, it was common for a priest to
read aloud the Requerimiento. This royal
declaration, usually read without translation,
offered the native Floridians the opportunity
to submit to Spanish rule and convert to
Christianity — or face consequences. If they
refused to comply, they were treated severely.