The first person of African descent to arrive in America was Estevanico.
Estevanico was a strong and courageous man born in Morocco. He became an explorer, fearless and full of the spirit of adventure. Over four hundred years ago, he sailed from Spain with a group of five hundred men seeking new lands.
They landed on the coast of what is now Florida. Native Americans and diseases killed half of the group within three months. The survivors set sail again, but their ship was wrecked on the Florida reefs. Only Estevanico and three Spaniards survived; the rest drowned.
For more than eight years, these four men traveled across the land, living among local Native American communities. Estevanico learned many Native languages and traveled as far south as Mexico City. He did not like staying in one place for long. In 1539, when an expedition was organized to search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola, which no European had ever seen, Estevanico joined the journey.
The summer was very hot, and by its end, Estevanico’s companions were exhausted and could go no farther. They asked him to move ahead with a group of Native runners and to send messages back if he found rich lands or cities. Estevanico created a simple code: A small cross meant no news, while a large cross indicated the discovery of wealthy lands.
At first, the runners returned only small crosses, as Estevanico traveled through largely uninhabited areas. One day, however, two runners returned with a cross as tall as a man. His companions realized he had found a remarkable land. They quickly followed the runners, hoping to reach it. They did not find the legendary golden cities, but they discovered large Native pueblos with stone houses, sometimes as tall as four stories. Estevanico was never seen again, as the local inhabitants had killed him to protect their lands. Eventually, these lands became part of what is now the American states of Arizona and New Mexico, explored for Europeans by Estevanico, a man of African heritage.
