It is for a third grade class. Esteban: The African Slave Who Explored America Esteban de Dorantes was an important explorer connected to the Coronado Expedition. Worse, they were lost and had a sign of their ships. Where did Estevanico grow up? They were fleeing and reported violence near Cbola and the death Esteban. Somehow, it worked. When the three European survivors refused to lead an expedition to the north, Don Antonio de Mendoza, the Viceroy of New Spain, engaged the services of Esteban, purchasing him from Dorantes. How do you check if a string matches a regex in Java? Estevanico (c. - Warriors of African Consciousness | Facebook Despite their truthful reports of very little wealth, their return to Mexico City sparked excitement about the lands north of Mexico. Whatever the means of regained their freedom, they moved inland by foot across present-day Texas and northern Mexico where they met and lived among friendly Indian tribes and somehow (there is no clear account on how this happened) they became revered as medicine men by the local Indians and were accorded great respect. 3Richard Flint, p35, 4101 E Montezuma Canyon Road Esteban (?-1539) - BlackPast.org Esteban: Enslaved African Became an Early Explorer of the New World It is unknown how he came to be a slave, but he was eventually purchased by Andrs Dorantes de Carranza, the son of a Spanish lower nobleman. Was this his chance for freedom? He was sold to Andrs Dorantes de Carranza. He was the property of Andrs Dorantes, a captain of the ill-fated Narvez Expedition of 1527. Narvaez decided to retreat to a Spanish settlement in Mexico via the Gulf of Mexico, but with their ships nowhere in sight, they resorted to building make-shift barges. They arrive on the coast of Florida in what is today Tampa Bay. [2][3] During his final exploration and disappearance in New Mexico, and what would become the Southwestern United States, he became mythologized as part of stories involving the Seven Cities of Gold in Santa Fe de Nuevo Mxico. Slavery in Spain was very different, and there were paths to freedom more readily available in the Spanish Empire. Estevanico (1500 - 1539) was an African slave and known as the first person born in Africa who has arrived tin present-day continental United States. Like many of his peers, Narvez resolved to seek his fortune in the gilded New World. All went well until Esteban reached Hawikuh, a Zuni pueblo located just east of the present Arizona-New Mexico border. Estebans experience as a survivor of the failed Pnfilo de Narvez expedition to Florida in 1528 made him a natural choice to lead an exploration into the fabled lands of the north in what is now northern Mexico as well as Arizona and New Mexico. Narvaez already had a considerable record of failure. He is referred to as simply Esteban or Estevan, more commonly as Estevanico, and also referred to as Esteban the Moor. Disregarding a warning to stay away, he proceeded into the pueblo where he was taken prisoner and then executed by Hawikuhs authorities in the spring of 1539. Esteban de Dorantes, an enslaved man of African descent known as Estavenico, was born in 1500. The shipwrecked quartet eventually reached Spanish settlements near Cliacan, Sinaloa in 1536. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). When the three European survivors refused to head an expedition, Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza purchased Esteban and sent him on Fray Marcos de Nizas 1539 journey in search of wealth. Who was Esteban de Dorantes and what did he do? [6] This same chronicle does not mention Estevanico's enslavement but other contemporary documents make it clear that he was owned by Andrs Dorantes de Carranza, a Spanish nobleman who participated in the expedition.[7]. Journeying through the mountains of Sonora was very easy and comfortable for Esteban although the same cannot be said for his protege. He is known by many different names, common are. He was among the only four survivors of about 600 men[1] that went on a Spanish (conquistador) expedition to present-day Florida in the United States of America and widely believed to be the first African to have reached the continent of Present-day USA[2]. Eventually, the land party settled in the abandoned town of Aute, where they resolved to melt their weapons and armor down, reforging the metal into tools with which to build new boats. Esteban and fifteen other men survived the winter only to be enslaved by Karankawa Indians. Soon he met two more Sonorans from the advance party who were wounded and bloodstained. [4] Mexico was the new Spain at the time. Esteban walked proudly interacting with the locals in their native languages. How do I download SSL certificate from AWS certificate manager? Where was Esteban de Dorantes born? - Frequently Asked Questions Who was Esteban and what role did he play in the Spanish exploration of On this day in 1539: Estevanico (Esteban) de Dorantes, native of Azamoor Morocco, sets out to explore what is now the southwestern part of the US Estevanico (c. 1500-1539), born in Morocco, was the first known person born in Africa to have arrived in the present-day continental United States. Originally born as a Muslim, he was converted to Roman Catholicism before reaching Hispaniola. Thats not to say that that Black explorers werent out there, just that their stories are overshadowed by the familiar names that live in our history books. Flint, Richard, and Shirley Cushing Flint. Esteban was the first recorded person of African descent to visit what is now the present-day United States. Louis Gates Jr.. , edited by and Emmanuel K. Akyeampong. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Illuminating Books About the History of Race in America. Esteban de Dorantes, Estebanico, Mustafa Zemmouri, and Esteban the Moor are the names he was known by. In the early 17th century, as the Age of Colonization began in earnest, Africans had begun to come to North America to stay. His unknown origins, arduous journey, and mysterious disappearance leave him shrouded in mystery. Nuevas interpretaciones sobre las aventuras de Alvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca, Esteban de Dorantes, y Fray Marcos de Niza,, This page was last edited on 22 April 2023, at 01:03. Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza began dreaming of the expedition to find these fabled cities of "Tierra Nueva" and desired experienced travelers to lead a reconnaissance expedition to scout the region. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. What are the duties of a sanitary prefect in a school? Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1940. Now here the story gets complicated as there are several accounts of what happened next, one thing is sure though, Estaban entered the city. His diplomatic mediation probably safe-guarded the lives of members of the 1539 AD expedition which set off from New Spain. A storm struck when they were near Galveston Island, Texas. "Estevanico, Negro Discoverer of the Southwest: A Critical Reexamination", Maura, Juan Francisco. going by the characters who died when the bridge collapsed. He knew at least 5 languages, was the ultimate survivor . What we do know is that Esteban was courageous, resourceful, and a skilled interpreter, often called upon to communicate with many of the indigenous peoples of "Tierra Nueva". Esteban de Dorantes has many names. Esteban was a native of North Africa, a Moor in contemporary Spanish parlance, whose ethnic origins are cloudy. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Grateful patients would share rumors of goings-on, and at times even offered to guide them to the next settlement. In 1536, the survivors and their retinue of six hundred Indian escorts came across a Spanish slaving expedition, a chance meeting that ended their eight-year-long, 15,000-mile sojourn. That would change in 1536, when they heard rumors about a party of Spanish slave raiders near present-day Guasave, Mexico. Dorantes and Cabeza de Vacas accounts differ, but while staying with the Avavares or shortly after, a sick person approached them and asked for healing. AZ The men weak from hunger and thirst just let the barges drift with the current and by the time they reached the strong current of the Mississippi River that flows into the Gulf of Mexico around September of 1528 the poorly constructed barges started disintegrating. A chance encounter with Spaniards in northwestern Mexico ended the group's years of wandering. Many of his ancestral countrymen might not have even ever heard about him despite his feats. Sources: Texas State Historical Association, National Park Service. Dorantes and Esteban join the Pnfilo de Narvez expedition to Florida. retrieved. The truth is that there is a dearth of information and evidence of Estebans life, and death, to know definitively what happened. The four wandered across modern-day Texas and northern Mexico, presenting themselves as healers and religious figures called Sons of the Sun. Esteban was particularly adept at learning languages, functioning as an interpreter. The locals believed they possessed healing powers and this attracted many followers and admirers who showered them with gifts and escorted them as they moved from village to village trying to make their way to Culiacan, a Spanish settlement, on the west coast of Mexico. How do you push multiple objects in one object? The advance party proceeded to the north in search of Cbola despite instructions from Fray Marcos to wait for him.[15][16]. Oviedo y Valdez, Gonzalo Fernndez. [4], Very little is known about the background of Estevanico. He was taken to Spain by a nobleman by the name of Andrs Dorantes de Carranza. Sancho Dorantes de Carranza, the grandson of Andrs Dorantes de Carranza, wrote that Estevanico was "shot through with arrows like a Saint Sebastian. Read the full, original biography by Dedra McDonald Birzer in the African American National Biography, Read the full, original biography by J.M.H.