Esteban the Moor, Little Stephen, Esteban de Dorantes, Mustafa Azemmouri
Occupation(s)
Explorer in present-day Mexico and parts of the southwest United States
Estevanico (c. 1500–1539), also known as Esteban de Dorantes and Estevanico the Moor, was the first person of African descent to explore North America. Little is known about his background but contemporary accounts described him as a "negro alárabe" or "Arabic-speaking black man" native to Azemmour, Morocco. In 1522, he was sold as a slave to the Spanish nobleman Andrés Dorantes de Carranza in the Portuguese-controlled Moroccan town of Azemmour.
Starting in 1528 he participated in the Narváez expedition, which set out from Cuba under the leadership of Pánfilo de Narváez to explore and colonize Spanish Florida. After numerous challenges, including shipwrecks and enslavement by Native Americans, Estevanico, along with three other survivors, escaped their captivity in 1534 and became medicine men. They embarked on an epic journey, covering nearly 2,000 miles, through the American interior, becoming the first Africans and Europeans to enter the American West. Their travels were greeted with respect and admiration from the indigenous communities, and they finally reached a Spanish settlement in Sinaloa, Mexico, in July 1536.
Their tales of rich civilizations in the north captivated Spaniards in Mexico City, leading the Viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza, to commission Fray Marcos de Niza to search for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola. Estevanico served as a guide for the expedition, venturing ahead of the main party with a group of Sonoran Indians and trade goods. However, tragedy struck near Cíbola when the village inhabitants attacked Estevanico, leading to his death. Several contemporary accounts describe his demise but the motivations behind the attack remain unclear.
Estevanico's life remains an enigmatic tale of resilience and exploration, leaving a lasting impact on the early history of European exploration in North America. His journey, as chronicled by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, provided valuable insights into the peoples, wildlife, and geography of western North America, making him a significant figure in history.
Estevanico (c. 1500–1539), also known as Esteban de Dorantes and Estevanico the Moor, was the first person of African descent to explore North America...
Vacapa, Marcos sent Estevanico and a group of Indians ahead to explore the country for fifty or sixty leagues to the north. Estevanico was instructed to...
1974. In 1539, Estevanico was the first non-native to visit Hawikuh. Rumors and legends revolving around the disappearance of Estevanico in the region...
and an enslaved Moroccan Berber named Estevanico, survived and escaped to reach Mexico City. In 1539, Estevanico was one of four men who accompanied Marcos...
It is often claimed that Chakwaina is a ceremonial representation of Estevanico, a Moroccan-born slave who led the first Spanish party to the Pueblo tribes...
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and three fellows (including an African named Estevanico), from a Spanish expedition that foundered, journeyed from Florida to...
Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza and his African slave Estevanico. They were the early non-native people to travel and be enslaved in the...
slave in Texas was Estevanico, a Moor from North Africa who had been captured and enslaved by the Spanish when he was a child. Estevanico accompanied his...
are thought to have joined Native Americans, if they survived. In 1527, Estevanico, an enslaved Moor, participated in the Spanish Narváez expedition. Enslaved...
Cibola, a legendary 16th century wealthy empire. In 1539, Moorish slave Estevanico led an advance party of Fray Marcos de Niza's Spanish expedition. Sponsored...
western Mexico and to the Pacific. Other black conquistadors included Estevanico, Juan de Villanueva, Beatriz de Palacios, Juan Valiente, Juan Beltrán...
many years. The first person of African heritage to arrive in Texas was Estevanico, who came to Texas in 1528. The earliest black residents in Texas were...
expedition, which included explorers Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and his slave Estevanico. Eventually returning to New Spain, the adventurers said they had heard...
de Vaca, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, Estevanico, and Marcos de Niza. Francisco Vásquez de Coronado assembled an enormous...
"El Negro" is a common Spanish language nickname, meaning "The Black". Estevanico (1500–1539), African explorer of the New World Juan Matta-Ballesteros...
current United States was probably Estebanico Al Azemmouri (also called Estevanico), a Muslim Moroccan of Gnawa descent, who participated in Pánfilo de Narváez's...
and an enslaved Moroccan Berber named Estevanico, survived and escaped to reach Mexico City. In 1539, Estevanico was one of four men who accompanied Marcos...
by Spanish pirates and sold as a slave, but later baptized and freed. Estevanico, also referred to as "Stephen the Moor", was an explorer in the service...
Prize for The Moor's Account, a fictional novel of the historic figure Estevanico, the first black explorer of North America and one of four survivors of...
Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for her novel The Moor's Account (2014), about Estevanico, which received strong critical praise and won several other awards. Lalami...
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