1496-1542. Spanish explorer who sailed with 
d'Avila (c. 1400-1531) to Darien, Central 
America, 1519, explored the Yucata'n 
Peninsula 1528, and travelled with Pizarro in 
Peru 1530-35. In 1538 he was made governor of 
Cuba and Florida. In his expedition of 1539, 
he explored Florida, Georgia, and the
Mississippi River.