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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Look at the Forgotten Conquest
Review: Charles Hudson is one of the greatest authors on the Nations of the Southeastern States, and in this book he turns his attentions towards their early contacts with the Spanish conquistadors in the mid-1500s. The first chapter of the book is nice, giving historical backgrounds and cultural details concerning both the Spanish (who had recently unified their country and having driven the Muslims and Jews out, were eager for more conquests) and the Mound Builders (who were in fact several highly developed civilizations throughout the Southeast).He then goes on to a very detailed examination of Hernando de Soto. He is examined, and we are given insight into every aspect of his expedition from his arrival in Florida all the way up to the end. The book is read in a linear fashion, making the story much easier to follow and the book focuses on specific places, villages and Nations that de Soto encountered. More than anything, his expedition had a negative impact on the Southeastern civilizations, gradually weakening them through disease, depletions of food and outright murder, rape and kidnappings. This would have such an impact that old Nations eroded away and gave rise to new Nations. Those that encountered the British and Americans later, such as the Five Civilized Nations (Cherokee, Seminole, Creek, Choctaw and Chickasaw), Powhatan Confederation and Tuscarora, were vastly different from their ancestors. The book closes out with a look at what happened after de Soto's expedition and includes a very thorough bibliography. It is also lavishly illustrated, including almost a hundred photographs of artifacts from Cahokia and other Mississippian civilizations, woodcuts, drawings of Indian dwellings and cities, photos of the Southeastern landscape and even recreationists in full Spanish military gear. Plus lots of maps of archaeological cultures in the Southeast, de Soto's route and so forth. A very nice book explaining the mysterious Indians of the Southeast and their early (and largely forgotten) contact with the Spaniards.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Look at 16th Century Exploration
Review: I bought this book on a whim, but ... wow ... what a journey. Hudson has been intimately involved in combing through the journals and reports of the De Soto expedition, cross-referencing the reports with examinations of the geography of the areas covered and archeological/anthropological studies of the 16th century inhabitants of the region. Hudson's approach to the expedition is interesting. He is a partisan arguing in favor of the route he delineates for the expedition, but he lays out the journey in a fairly straightforward manner that is very engaging. The Afterward, however, gives a quick rundown of the differences in opinion over the route, the still-unfolding evidence to support Hudson's claims, and what remains to be proven. All it all, it is a vivid retelling of the first planned European expedition into southeastern North America, which was quite a different place than when much of it was colonized by Europeans a century later. The native cultures were near the end of the moundbuilding Mississippian culture, and Hudson notes how the disruptions of De Soto and his men may have contributed to the eventual changes in native society. Fascinating.
Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: This book uses journal entries from those who traveled with De Soto to recreate the Spaniards trek through the eastern United States. The book documents everything from the ordinary - such as the number of pigs the Spaniards had to the number of Indians encountered - to detailed and horrific accounts of the brutality the Spaniards exacted on those tribes who did not welcome them with open arms. This book provides a rare look at what life was like for those native to the Southeast on the cusp of great change. A bit sad but a fascinating read, especially if you are interested in gleaning details of pre-contact life for the Southeastern tribes.
Rating:
Summary: Another masterful work from Hudson
Review: This is by far the most comprehensible work on DeSoto that I've read to date. It fully brings to life the stuggles of the expedition, as well as the depridations done to the indeginous peoples of the Southeast. It reads much like a novel, bringing to life several key participates, both Spainards, and natives alike. This book is a masterpiece, decades in the making, wonderfully researched, and written. If the early exploration of the Southeast is of intrest to you, then this is a must own book.
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