Greetings, I am Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer and conquistador born around the year 1497. I proudly partook in various expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. My name is intertwined with the conquests of Francisco Pizarro in the illustrious Inca Empire of Peru. It was my honor to lead the first European expedition deep into the vast and mysterious lands that now constitute the southeastern United States, crossing rivers and forests in search of gold and legendary passages to distant shores.