When Hernando de Soto arrived in 1540, the Southeast was divided into competing kingdoms like the Kusa and the Atahachi led by King Tuscaloosa. The Spanish exploited these divisions and reported roads wide enough for five horses abreast. One village they sacked, called Itiba, is tentatively identified as Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, which by then was a small, reduced settlement with its pyramids abandoned and overgrown for over a century.
Spanish encounters and decline of Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
USAGeneral
Key facts
- When Hernando de Soto arrived in 1540, the region was divided into competing kingdoms
- De Soto exploited divisions between kingdoms, including the Kusa and Atahachi (King Tuscaloosa)
- Spanish reported well-maintained roads between villages wide enough for five horses side by side
- One village sacked by the Spanish was called Itiba, which archaeologists tentatively identify as Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site based on location match
- By de Soto's arrival, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site/Itiba was reduced to a small village with its pyramids abandoned and overgrown for more than a century
Site mentioned
Sources
Tuskaloosaen.wikipedia.org
Tuskaloosa is notable for leading the Battle of Mabila at his fortified village against the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto. After being taken hostage by ...
Hernando de Soto in Georgiageorgiaencyclopedia.org
On August 20, 1540, De Soto and his army departed from the main town of Coosa and traveled to the south, crossing the Etowah River at the town of Itaba—the ...
Where was the Battle between De Soto and Tascalusa?thoughtco.com
Tascalusa's major settlement was called Atahachi, and that's where de Soto first met him, probably west of where the modern town of Montgomery, ...
De Soto in East Tennessee, May-June 1540tennesseehistory.org
Hernando de Soto and his private army emerged from the dense forest of the Blue Ridge at the end of May in 1540, and began descending the Nolichucky River ...
De Soto Ravages the South - AMERICAN HERITAGEamericanheritage.com
In July 1540, his expedition entered the territory of Coosa, the paramount chiefdom of the region, centered on the upper Coosa River in what is today northwest ...
Was this story useful?
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.