Answer:
Hernando de Soto was a Spanish conquistador who searched for riches in the southeastern United States. De Soto himself hoped to get the rights to conquer part of the New World, and in 1538 he succeeded: he was appointed governor of Cuba and Florida. De Soto founded the settlement of Espíritu Santo in Tampa Bay and began exploring from Florida. The land soon turned out to be unfavorable because of the many swamps and the heat. Contacts with the Indians were also not optimal and de Soto was often cruel against them.
In 1540 he moved north along the Appalachians. The conquistadors were often attacked for their atrocities against the natural inhabitants. He reached the Mississippi, which he could only cross after a month due to hostile Indians, among others. There, de Soto died of a fever.