The Story of Juan Ortiz

The saga of Juan Ortiz, a young officer of the Spanish explorer Panfilo de Narvaez, began in 1528 when he and four other Spaniards became separated from the others and were captured by the Chief of the Uzita natives, Chief Hirrahigua.

In an earlier encounter with Narvaez, Chief Hirrahigua and his people had been tortured and enslaved by the Spaniards in their search for gold, silver, and for natives to serve as guides and burden bearers. Unwilling or unable to reveal the location of any treasure, Chief Hirrahigua had been forced to watch as his Mother was torn to shreds before his eyes by fierce war dogs that accompanied the Spaniards. Narvaez then ordered the nose of the chief to be cut off in order to get him to tell of hidden gold.

Needless to say, Chief Hirrahigua, in his anger, sought revenge on Juan and the other captured Spaniards, sending them to run through a gauntlet that none of the first four survived. But when Juan's turn came to run for his life, Chief Hirrihiguas wife and two of his daughters spoke for Juan, pleading that he be spared because of his tender age.

Although Juan was spared that day, the Chiefs animosity towards this Spaniard continued to grow. Many times he tortured Juan and attempted to carry out his death sentence. After more than a year of enslavement, Juan was placed upon a barbacoa (a smoking and drying rack for foods and hides) and was nearly cooked to death before being rescued by the women.

When the Chiefs eldest daughter decided that she could no longer protect Juan from her fathers rage, she helped Juan to escape to the domain of her fiancee, the Chief of the Mocoso. Here, Juan spent the next 10 years under the personal protection of Chief Mocoso until he was rescued by Hernando de Soto in 1539.

Juan traveled with de Sotos army, acting as a guide and interpreter. He perished upon the trail from disease. Chief Hirrihiguas daughter, facing the full force of her Father?s wrath for aiding Juan in his escape, was never allowed to marry her fiancee, Chief Mocoso.

One hundred years later, an Englishman, John Smith read an account of the Juan Ortiz story and thus was born the tale of Pocohontas and John Smith.