(c. 1496-1542) Spanish explorer who sailed with d'Avila (c. 1400–1531) to Darien, Central America, 1519, explored the Yucatán Peninsula 1528, and traveled with Francisco Pizarro in Peru 1530–35. In 1538 he was made governor of Cuba and Florida. In his expedition of 1539, he explored Florida, Georgia, and the Mississippi River.
Emperor Charles V appointed de Soto governor of Florida in 1537. His expeditions may have penetrated Missouri and Louisiana. Upon his death on May 21, 1542, his companions buried his body in a river to preserve the local Indians' belief that de Soto had descended from heaven.

Množina: De Sotos

1. City in Iowa (USA); zip code 50069.
2. City in Kansas (USA); zip code 66018.
3. City in Missouri (USA); zip code 63020.
4. Village in Georgia (USA); zip code 31743.
5. Village in Illinois (USA); zip code 62924.
6. Village in Wisconsin (USA).