ABSTRACT
Without a doubt, the “Queen” had heard of De Soto’s coming. When her fellow countrymen refused to show De Soto to her village, he burned them alive. When a misguided warrior challenged De Soto to a manly duel of skill, the Spaniard set his huge Mastiffs upon him and they tore him to pieces. Word spread quickly of the coming of these dark men. In this first encounter, the Beloved Woman of Cofitachiqui knew that she was reckoning with an overwhelming force of power and that her steps must be delicate.
