For God, Gold and Glory: de Soto's Journey to the Heart of La Florida

Between 1539 and 1543 Hernando de Soto led an army of six hundred armored men on a desperate journey of almost four thousand miles through the wilds of La Florida, what is now the southeastern United States, facing the problems of hostile natives, inadequate supplies, and the harsh elements, as they left a path of destruction in their search for gold and glory in the name of God.

During the ordeal, de Soto's private secretary, Rodrigo Ranjel, kept a daily journal. Modern historians believe t...