First European Explorers in Alabama

In 1519, Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda led the first documented European expedition to the Alabama coast, mapping the Gulf from Florida to Mexico.

Subsequent Early Contacts

• 1528: Pánfilo de Narváez expedition; survivors (including Cabeza de Vaca) traversed northern Gulf coast.
• 1540: Hernando de Soto entered interior Alabama (Coosa, Tuskaloosa chiefdoms); first extensive inland exploration.
• 1559: Tristán de Luna attempted settlement at Ochuse (Pensacola Bay); brief, failed.
• 1699: Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville (French) founded Mobile (1702)—first permanent European settlement.

Pineda's 1519 voyage established the Spanish claim; de Soto's 1540 entrada brought devastating disease and conflict to Mississippian chiefdoms.