EstĂ©ban de Dorantes was an enslaved African man who arrived in what is now Florida in 1528, part of an expedition led by Spaniard PĂĄnfilo de NarvĂĄez. After numerous hardships, EstĂ©ban and three other crewmates reached present-day Mexico City in 1536. Three years later he became a scout and guide for a Spanish expedition seeking treasures in the American Southwest. EstĂ©ban found HĂĄwikuh, which the Spaniards believed was one of the fabled Seven Cities of CĂbola. However, it was actually an A:Shiwi (Zuni) pueblo (now in New Mexico). EstĂ©ban was reportedly killed by the A:Shiwi after attempting to enter HĂĄwikuh. Later accounts say he was killed for assaulting Native American women. Some modern scholars have also theorized that EstĂ©ban faked his own death with the help of his Native American friends to finally escape enslavement.
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