Alonso de Solís (? - 1576) was a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

and

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

who served as governor of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

between April and July 4, 1576, when he was killed.Turner Bushnell, Amy (1994)
Situado and Sabana: Spain support system for the Presidio and Mission Provinces of Florida. The Archaeology of Mission Santa Catalina de Guale. Volumen 68. American Museum of Natural History, Anthropological Papers
Number 74. Pages 60 and 212. He also participated in the

Narváez expedition The Narváez expedition was a Spanish journey of exploration and colonization started in 1527 that intended to establish colonial settlements and garrisons in Florida. The expedition was initially led by Pánfilo de Narváez, who died in 1528. M ...

as royal inspector of mines. Solís joined the Castilian army in his youth, where he excelled and he reached the rank of

official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their ...

. On June 17, 1527, he participated, together with six hundred other men (among them

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (; 1488/90/92"Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar Núñez (1492?-1559?)." American Eras. Vol. 1: Early American Civilizations and Exploration to 1600. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 50-51. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 10 Decembe ...

), in the

, led by

Pánfilo de Narváez Pánfilo de Narváez (; 147?–1528) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' and soldier in the Americas. Born in Spain, he first embarked to Jamaica in 1510 as a soldier. He came to participate in the conquest of Cuba and led an expedition to Camagüey ...

, to conquer the provinces located between Rio de Palmas and

Cape Florida Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area occupies approximately the southern third of the island of Key Biscayne, at coordinates . This park includes the Cape Florida Light, the oldest standing structure in Greater Miami. In 2005, it was ra ...

.Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Álvar
Naufragios y relación de la jornada que hizo a la Florida con el adelantado
(in Spanish: Shipwrecks and day that made the Adelantado with the Florida). Page 01.Boscolo, Alberto. ''Presencia italiana en Andalucía: Siglos XIV-XVII'', Sevilla: Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos, 1989. He served in the expedition as royal inspector of mines. Apparently, in 1574 De Solis and the governor of Florida

Diego de Velasco Diego de Velasco (?? - 1575) was a career soldier who served as interim Lieutenant Governor of Spanish Florida between 1574 and 1576. His administration ended with his and his treasurer Bertolomeo Martinez's imprisonment by his successor as gove ...

took several fathoms of money to the Amerindians of Florida, who had a value equal to two ducats each, and also two canoes of the natives, without giving them any compensation. Solís was appointed governor of

in April 1576, being killed on July 4 this year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solis, Alonso De Royal Governors of La Florida Spanish explorers of North America Explorers of Florida 16th-century births 1576 deaths