THE EXPEDITION OF
LUÍS DE MOSCOSO IN TEXAS IN 1542
He who would see the new world
The golden pole the second,
Other seas, other lands,
Achievements great and wars,
And such things attempted
As alarm and give pleasure,
Strike terror and lend delight,
Read of the author this pleasing story
Where nothing fabulous is told.
1
The expedition of Luís de Moscoso, having been a continuation
of that of Hernando de Soto through the tier of southern states
in 1541 and 1542, was of such great interest that a few words
should be devoted to de Soto as a tribute to the memory of this
great explorer and to the members of his remarkable expedi-
tion before referring to his successor, Moscoso.
Hernando de Soto was the son of an esquire of Xerez de
Badajoz, who "went to the Indias of the Ocean sea belonging
to Castile."
2 De Soto, having gained immense wealth from his
adventurous journey with Pizarro in conquering Peru, and sub-
sequently having returned to Seville, "employed a superintend-
ent of household, an usher, pages, equerry, chamberlain, foot-
men, and all the servants requisite for the establishment of a
gentleman."
3 It has been said that in Seville de Soto spent large
sums and went about arrayed in costly apparel.
The citizens of Seville, whose interest had already been
aroused by the relation of Cabeza de Vaca regarding the riches
of the New World, saw evidence of the wealth acquired by de
Soto in Peru. Repetitions of these reports gained momentum
and so inflamed the imagination of the people that it was not
long before many citizens of Spain and Portugal expressed a
willingness to go with de Soto to this land of glittering gold.
Some sold their vineyards, their houses, and their lands to go
to this newly discovered country. Encouraged by the enthu-
siasm of the people, de Soto bought seven ships and gathered
together those who desired to go with him to the new land.
"Portuguese turning out in polished armor, and the Castilians
dressed very showily in silk over silk, pinked and slashed.
Some were in shirts of mail; all wore steel caps or helmets
but had very poor lances. Six hundred men in all followed de
Soto to Florida."
4 Among his principal companions were Luis
de Moscoso and his two brothers.
5
In the month of April, 1538, de Soto, having received the
appointment of Adelantado of New Spain,
6 delivered the vessels
to their seven captains, took for himself a new ship fast of sail,
placed aboard sufficient cattle, swine, provisions, and equipment
for his followers, unfurled the sails of his ships, and with a
favorable wind got his ships over the bar of Sanlúcar on Sunday
morning of Saint Lazarus with great festivity, after command-
ing the trumpets to be sounded and many charges of artillery
to be fired. With high hopes and great confidence in the leader,
the expedition was now on its way toward the sunset and the
new-found land called "Florida."
Accompanying de Soto in this enterprise was his faithful wife,
the former Doña Ysabel de Bobadilla, daughter of Pedrarias
Dávila Count of Puñonrostro, and with her the wives of Don
Carlos, of Baltasar de Gallegos and of Nuño de Tobar.
The emperor, in conferring upon de Soto the honor of Gov-
ernor of the Island of Cuba, and Adelantado of Florida," had
given the explorer all the authority needed.
The first landing of the de Soto expedition was at the Canary
Islands, from which the adventurers went on to Havana. In
May, 1539, de Soto left his wife, Doña Ysabel, with the ladies
accompanying her, to govern the island of Cuba during his
absence, and, having acquired two more ships, he with his
eager followers landed on the west coast of Florida on the
30th day of May, 1539. "Two hundred and thirteen horses were
unloaded to unburden the ships,"
7 and the men landed on shore.
The expedition started to the northward, where they met with
stout resistance from the Indians. Moscoso was made master
of camp and set the men in order.
8
Continuing the march the expedition reached the town of
Ucita on Trinity Sunday. From there with much endurance
and fortitude and numerous pitched battles with the natives,
the Europeans slowly fought their way through the northern
part of what is now Florida. Going northward they passed
through the present states of Georgia, South Carolina, Ten-
nessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, then,
according to the Final
Report
of
the
United
States
de
Soto
Expedition
Commission,
de Soto again returned to Louisiana,
9
still searching for the gold and precious stones which appar-
ently were never found. The fierce encounters with the Indians,
the hardships endured, and the failure to secure the long sought
wealth, doubtless preyed heavily upon the mind of de Soto. A
fever came on him of such severity that it caused him to take to
his bed at Guaychoya, on the west bank of the Mississippi River
in the present Louisiana. Realizing his death was near, de Soto
called about him the remainder of his followers and thanked
them for their great qualities, "their love and loyalty to his
person," and asked them whom they desired to lead them to
New Spain, whereupon they answered Moscoso, and in con-
formity with their wishes de Soto appointed Luís de Moscoso
de Alvarado Captain General to lead them. On the following
day at Guaychoya, May 21, 1542, "departed this life the intrepid
Captain Don Hernando de Soto, Governor of Cuba and Adelan-
tado of Florida."
10
Moscoso, in an effort to prevent the news of the death from
becoming known to the Indians, secretly buried the body of
de Soto, but within three days it was exhumed, and during
the night under the orders of Moscoso it was enshrouded with
shawls, covered with an abundance of sand, placed in a canoe,
and "committed to the middle of the stream."
11
Soon after the death of de Soto, Moscoso called the principal
personages together to consult regarding the best method of
procedure. It was agreed that the expedition toward New Spain
should be continued. Accordingly, they started out from Guay-
choya and apparently crossed the northern part of Louisiana,
12
passing just north of what is now the city of Shreveport, The
expedition then turned sharply toward the southwest to the
province of Nondacao, finally arriving on the east line of what
is now Texas and entering this state in the neighborhood of
Joaquin apparently about August 20 to 25, 1542. (The Nonda-
caos in later years it is believed migrated toward the west and
were found in the section known now as Rusk, Gregg, and part
of Smith Counties.
13)
According to Dr. John Reid Swanton, Chairman of the de
Soto Expedition Commission, the Moscoso party marched from
the region of Joaquin to Ays (Hais, Ais = San Augustine,
Texas), and, according to the report of the commission, "when
the Spaniards reached Hais they were on their way to a province
called Soacatino which, it is therefore reasonable to suppose,
lay still farther toward the southwest."
14
Continuing from Soacatino to the southwest the Moscoso
expedition passed through what is now Angelina County just
below Lufkin, then through Trinity County above Groveton,
touched the extreme southwest tip of Houston County, and
thence came to Daycao (Trinity) River on the east border line
of Madison County, just above the junction of the Bedias Creek
with the Trinity. Crossing the Daycao, the expedition sent
out a detachment of men to explore the section slightly west of
that stream.
After having given more thorough study to the historic data
in regard to the route of Moscoso in Texas, and being ac-
quainted with the general geography of East Texas, the writer
desires to state that he is in substantial agreement with the
de Soto Expedition Commission in regard to the route of Mos-
coso in Texas as far as the province known as Ays, but it is
the opinion of the writer that the expedition of Moscoso after
leaving that place proceeded some fifteen to twenty-five miles
sooth of present San Augustine to Soacatino; and from Soa-
catino eastward toward the Sabine River where water could
be obtained during August. After making many turns and
looking for Christians who might come to their aid, the mem-
bers of the expedition possibly proceeded as far south as the
east central portion of Newton County, but finding neither
Christians nor gold, they finally turned toward the west, reach-
ing the Neches or Angelina River. Proceeding northward up
the Angelina River the expedition reached Guasco, possibly
situated on the east side of that stream in what is now the
extreme southeastern border of Nacogdoches County. From
Guasco, the party continued to Nacquiscoca and still further
northward to the Nacacahoz (Nacogdoche). Here the expedi-
tion turned and marched southward, returning to Guasco, pos-
sibly situated on or near an old Indian Trail where water was
abundant; this point would in a general way correspond with
the crossing of the road later known as the La Bahía road on the
Angelina River. Leaving Guasco and proceeding to the south-
west along this trail (possibly the La Bahía road in later years),
the expedition came to the river Daycao (the Trinity), across
which ten horsemen had been sent to explore the region west
of the river.
According to the Gentleman of Elvas, the Moscoso expedi-
tion "returned over the way"
15 which they had come, and, if
the writer's inference is correct, the party evidently passed
through Guasco again on the way to Aminoya on the west
bank of the Mississippi River, where seven brigantines were
built
16 to hold the remnant of three hundred twenty-two Span-
iards, who subsequently made their way down the Mississippi
River in these vessels to the Gulf of Mexico, and by good fortune
and favorable winds, turned westward and finally arrived at
the River Pánuco.
17
The following evidence is offered in support of the writer's
interpretation of the route of the Moscoso Expedition in Texas:
1. The account of the Gentleman of Elvas, as translated by
Buckingham Smith with corrections made by J. Franklin Jame-
son.
18 Regarding this account the United States de Soto Expe-
dition Commission makes the following statement: "In our
study of the route [of the de Soto-Moscoso Expedition] we
shall, therefore, accept the Ranjel narrative as basal, supple-
ment it by means of the Elvas relation and the sketch by
Biedma, and finally, in the light of these three, study what
Garcilaso's informants have to tell us. Unfortunately, as already
stated, the Ranjel narrative breaks off at the point where de
Soto took up his winter quarters in the fall of 1541. From
there on our principal guide will be Elvas, supplemented by
the meager data of Biedma, and whatever can be distilled from
the romantic pages of the Inca."
19
2. The map of the Gentleman of Elvas.
20 This map shows
the names and locations of provinces in a vertical line just west
of the river (probably the Sabine), and extending almost in a
vertical line south of the province of Ays (San Augustine).
3. The Swanton map of North America.
21 This map shows
the province of Xautatino lying south of the province of Ays.
4. The statement of Jesús María,
22 who enumerates with
others the Guasco (in 1691) as living "toward the north and
east" of his mission, Nombre de María.
23
5. The names of the tribes or provinces marched through in
East Texas are Caddoan.
6. The statement of the Gentleman of Elvas in which he
says: "The country [of Soacatino, Sacatín, Xautatino, etc.] was
very poor, and the want of maize was greatly felt; [the] natives
being asked if they had any knowledge of Christians said that
they had heard that near there towards the south such men
were moving about."
24 It is to be noted that at this time there
seemed to be no difficulty in interpreting the words or lan-
guage of these probably Caddoan tribes. After hearing the
report of the Christians somewhere toward the south the Gen-
tleman of Elvas says: "For twenty days the march [after
leaving Soacatino] was through a very thinly peopled country,
where great privation and toil were endured; the little maize
there was, the Indians having buried in the scrub."
25
7. The statement of Biedma in his narrative where he says:
"We went from this place [Hais], and came to the province
of Xacatin, which was among some close forests, and was scant
of food. Hence the Indians guided us eastward to other small
towns poorly off for food, having said they would take us where
there were other Christians like us, which afterwards proved
false, although as we made so many turns it might be in some
of them they had observed our passing. We turned to go south-
ward [from Xacatin] with the resolution of either reaching
New Spain or dying. We travelled about six days in a direc-
tion south and southwest when we stopped."
26 If the Moscoso
expedition on leaving Xacatin [Soacatino] travelled eastward,
and if this province of Xacatin was south of Ays, as it seemed
to be, Moscoso apparently marched toward the Sabine River,
where his army could obtain water during the hot month of
August. If one should go to a point some fifteen or more miles
south of San Augustine, and from there eastward, he would
be in the vicinity of the Sabine River; then by turning south-
ward for some forty miles he would reach the neighborhood
of the eastern portion of what is now Newton County. The
topography of this region fits the description of sand, pine, and
oak trees, and not far to the south is the "Big Thicket," which
even at the present time is known for its almost impenetrable
nature, being composed of large trees, bushes, swamps, and
thick undergrowth. The "Big Thicket" is said to extend roughly
from the Sabine River on the east more or less to the Trinity
River, the northern edge of the thicket being only a few miles
south of Livingston, Polk County.
8. The references of the Gentleman of Elvas to the narrative
of Cabeza de Vaca.
27 These references indicate that Moscoso
was familiar with the descriptions of the country as given by
Cabeza de Vaca. One might offer a supposition that the Chris-
tians referred to by the Indians at Soacatino were members of
the ill-fated Narváez expedition who might have been rescued
by the native Indians residing in South Texas and not to the
Christians of the Coronado expedition in northwest Texas.
9. After the wanderings of Moscoso and his men of from six
to twenty days he apparently came to Guasco (see map).
10. From Guasco, Moscoso went to another settlement called
"Nacquiscoca," and from there to "Nacacahoz,"
28 which latter
name sounds so much like the word "Nacogdoche" that the
writer's interpretation is that the term Nacacahoz meant
Nacogdoche. The old San Antonio trail or road passed through
the present town of Nacogdoches; it was found in one locality
in 1686 or 1687 by the men of la Salle's expedition, who said
that the road they travelled was as good as between two cities in
France, thus showing its antiquity.
While at the province of Nacacahoz, Moscoso sent out a
captain with fifteen cavalrymen to "discover if there were any
marks of horses or signs of any Christians having been there."
29
From the Nacacahoz province Moscoso returned to Guasco
where he was told that: "Ten days journey from there toward
the sunset was a river called Daycao, and that they had seen
persons on the other bank but without knowing what people they
were. The Christians took as much maize as they could find and
journeying ten days through a wilderness [note that they were
not here in an open or prairie country] they arrived at the river
Daycao [Trinity] of which the Indians had spoken,"
30 and
where ten horsemen had crossed the river Daycao and cap-
tured two natives. After the captives were brought into camp
it was discovered that no one could interpret their language,
thus indicating that the two captives were unfamiliar with the
Caddoan dialect. They were believed to belong to some tribe who
wandered like Arabs and lived on prickly pears.
31
11. From the Daycao the expedition "returned over the
way,"
32 which, according to the writer's interpretation, means
that they returned by way of Guasco, thence to Anilco on the
Mississippi River, a distance of 150 leagues.
In this contribution the writer does not go so far as to claim
that all of his interpretations are entirely correct. Some day
it is to be hoped that a lost or misplaced manuscript may be
found which will throw more light upon the question of the
exact route of the Moscoso expedition in Texas. History is
anxiously waiting for that day.
FOOTNOTES:
Hernando de Soto in F. W. Hodge and Theodore H. Lewis (eds.), Spanish
Explorers in Southern United States, 1528-1543 (New York, 1907), 133;
hereinafter referred to as Elvas.
hereinafter referred to as Final Report.
Southern United States, 1528-1543, 233.
Eighteenth Century (Berkeley, 1915).
United States, 1528-1543, 133ff.
1528-1543, 133.
1691-1722," Southwestern Historical Quarterly, XXX, 286.
the Tejas Indian Village (San Pedro) and the Spanish Missions in Houston
County, Texas," Southwestern Historical Quarterly, XXXVIII, 204.
1528-1543, 244.
of Hernando de Soto (2 vols., New York, 1904), II, 37.
1528-1543, 246, 248, and 149.
How to cite:
Albert Woldert, "Expedition of Luis de Moscoso in Texas in 1542", Volume 46, Number 2, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v046/n2/contrib_DIVL2180.html
[Accessed Mon Nov 23 10:44:18 CST 2009]
