Explorer; born in
Valladolid, Spain, about 1478; went to
Santo Domingo in 1501, and thence to
Cuba, where he was the
chief lieutenant of
Velasquez, the governor.
Cortez carrying matters with a high hand in
Mexico,
Narvaez was sent by
Velasquez to
Cuba to supersede him, but was defeated, lost an eye, and was held a prisoner by
Cortez.
On his release
Narvaez returned to
Spain, and in June, 1527, sailed from San Lucar, by authority of the
King, with 600 men in five vessels, commanded to conquer
Florida and govern it. After long detention at
Santo Domingo and
Cuba, he sailed for
Florida with 400 men and eighty horses, accompanied by
Cabeza De Vaca (q. v.) as treasurer of the expedition, who was to be deputy-governor.
They landed at
Tampa Bay on April 13, 1528, where
Narvaez raised the standard of
Spain and took possession of the country in the name of its
King, and his officers took the oath of allegiance to him as governor.
Instead of treating the native inhabitants kindly, and winning their friendship and an easy conquest,
Narvaez followed the example of his countrymen in
Santo Domingo and
Cuba.
He marched into the interior with high hopes, directing his vessels to sail along the coasts.
He pressed forward in daily expectation of finding some city sparkling with wealth.
All before him were creations of imagination, all behind him were gloomy disappointments.
Treachery met his cruelty at every step.
Compelled to fight foes and failing to find gold,
Narvaez turned towards the sea—the
Gulf of Mexico—and at the mouth of the
Apalachicola, failing to find his ships, he caused frail boats to be built, embarked with his followers, and coasted towards the mouth of the
Mississippi.
One by one his followers died from starvation, and finally a “norther” struck and dispersed the flotilla.
Narvaez was never heard of afterwards.
The boat that carried
De Vaca stranded on an island, where they were kindly treated by the natives.
De Vaca was the only
Spaniard of the expedition who returned to
Spain.
