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Pánfilo de Narváez | |
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| Born | 1478 Spain |
| Died | 1528 (age 50) Gulf of Mexico |
| Cause of death | Storm, plausibly drowning.[1] |
| Resting place | Unknown Unknown |
| Occupations | Spanish conquistador and explorer[1] |
| Employer | Spain[2] |
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Pánfilo de Narváez (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈpaɱfiloðenaɾˈβaeθ]; born 1478,[3] died 1528) was aSpanishconquistador and soldier in theAmericas. Born inSpain, he first sailed to the island ofJamaica (then Santiago) in 1510 as a soldier. Pánfilo participated in the conquest ofCuba and led an expedition toCamagüey, escortingBartolomé de las Casas.
He is best remembered as the leader of two failed expeditions, the first of which began in 1519 and ended in 1520 after defeat and capturein battle againstHernán Cortés. Pánfilo's second expedition, theNarváez expedition, began in 1527 and ended for him with his death the following year. Only four men returned from it, reaching present-day Mexico City in 1536. He was named anadelantado by KingCarlos V before embarking on that final expedition.
Pánfilo de Narváez was born inCastile (in eitherNavalmanzano, nearCuéllar,[4] orValladolid) in 1470[4] or 1478. He was a relative ofDiego Velázquez de Cuéllar, the first Spanish governor of Cuba. Pánfilo's nephew was Antonio Velázquez de Narváez. Bartolomé de las Casas described him as "a man of authoritative personality, tall of body and somewhat blonde inclined to redness".[5]
Narváez took part in the Spanish conquest ofJamaica in 1509. In 1511, he went toCuba to participate in the conquest of that island under the command of Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar.[6]: 81, 111, 114, 117–119
He led expeditions to the eastern end of the island in the company ofBartolomé de las Casas andJuan de Grijalva. De las Casas (who was an eyewitness) reported that Narváez presided over the massacre of Caonao, where Spanish troops killed a village full of natives who had come to meet them with food.[7] After the massacre Narváez asked de las Casas, "What do you think about what our Spaniards have done?" De las Casas replied, "I send both you and them to the Devil!"[This quote needs a citation]
Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, the governor of Cuba, sponsoredHernán Cortés to man an expedition to Mexico in 1519. With second thoughts about Cortés' loyalty, however, he recalled the expedition shortly after it began. Cortés disobeyed, proceeding with the expedition that would result in theSpanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Narváez (arriving from Cuba) was named governor of Mexico by Velázquez, who sent him and 1,400 men on 19 ships to México to intercept Cortés.[8]: 280–281
Narváez disembarked atVeracruz, where Cortés had left a small garrison and set out with the rest of his men for theAztec capital ofTenochtitlan. The garrison was manned by Cortés' captain,Gonzalo de Sandoval, who captured some of Narváez's men and sent them to Tenochtitlan to alert Cortés. Unable to defeat the garrison, Narváez went to theTotonac town ofCempoala and set up camp.[8]: 282
When news of Narváez's arrival reached Cortés, he gathered a contingent of his troops (perhaps as few as 250) and returned to the coast. Although his remaining 900 men outnumbered those of Cortés three to one, Narváez was outmanoeuvred, lost an eye and was taken prisoner in theBattle of Cempoala on May 27, 1520. After a two-year imprisonment, he was returned to Spain.[citation needed]
When Narváez returned to Spain, he was appointedadelantado ofFlorida byCharles V and sent to colonize the territory. He embarked fromSanlúcar de Barrameda on June 17, 1527, with a fleet of five ships and 600 men. Narváez himself believed that there were other wealthy empires, like the Aztecs, up North.
After reaching Cuba and losing several ships in a hurricane, Narváez regrouped and set sail with five ships, 400 men, and 10 women for the Rio de las Palmas (near present-dayTampico) in February 1528. His fleet ran aground, and he decided to go to Havana to obtain additional supplies. Narváez was unable to reach Havana, as storms and strong winds forced him north to Florida's west coast.[9] The expedition arrived there in April 1528, weakened by storms and desertions. Narváez landed with 300 men at the mouth ofBoca Ciega Bay, north ofTampa Bay at the present-dayJungle Prada Site inSt. Petersburg, among hostile natives.[10]
He led an excursion inland, where he discovered the southern shore of present-dayOld Tampa Bay. Narváez continued along its coastline and arrived at the main village of the Tocobaga Indians (present-daySafety Harbor), where he discovered "many boxes from Castile" and several European artefacts. Recent research suggests that he may have found the remnants of the 1521 settlement established and abandoned byJuan Ponce de León.[11]
Finding their landing place unsuitable for settlement, Narváez ordered the expedition to split into 100 men and 10 women aboard ships and 300 men and 42 horses travelling by land. They planned to head north along the coast, planning to re-unite at a large bay that his pilots assured him was nearby. There was no large harbour north of their landing site, and Narváez never saw his ships again.
His expedition moved north until it reached the present-daySt. Marks River, in the territory of theApalachee people. Unable to find the gold and other riches he sought and tired of hostilities with the natives, Narváez ordered the construction of four rafts in an attempt to reachPánuco (his original destination).
A storm drowned most of his remaining 240 men nearGalveston Island, with only about 80 swept ashore. Narváez and a small group of men were carried out to sea and were never seen again.
Only four men survived the six years it took for the remainder of the expedition to find its way back. It was eight years from their initial landing in Florida before they arrived in Culiacán (Sinaloa), where they foundMelchor Diaz mayor and captain of the province.[12]Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca,Andrés Dorantes de Carranza,Alonso del Castillo Maldonado and the Moroccan slaveEstevanico (Esteban) had remained in captivity on (or near) Galveston Island for six years.
Cabeza de Vaca wrote arelación[12] about the journey on foot by these four survivors across the present-day southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It was the first book describing the people, animals, flora and fauna of inland North America.
