Often called the "Black Stephen", Estevanico was born in 1500AD. He was a Moroccan and was the first North African who had travelled to the US. He was in fact a mere slave and his achievements were extremely commendable! He was a survivor and was daring enough to claim a place for himself among the greatest of explorers that Spain remembers till today.

Considering his modest background he has proven his courage and greatness with his travels and his adventures. He learned the art of survival and expedition from his master and put them to good use.

Estevanico was sold to the Portuguese as a slave in 1513 at the early age of 13 years and was converted in to a Roman Catholic by his masters. He was later sold to a new master, Carranza in 1520 and the two grew close to each other.

In fact he travelled to various places like Cuba and Hispaniola with Carranza and went on to become a part of the Narvaez Expedition which had the objective of making Florida and the Gulf Coast in to colonies.

However, the fate of the expedition was doomed by a terrible storm but Estevanico became one of the four survivors of the expedition. Finding his way back home was not an easy task for him or the other three survivors. He had to go through a series of mishaps and never ending struggle in order to survive the adverse conditions that had befallen him and his masters.

This struggle entailed a lot of travelling in unknown lands under adverse conditions and further trained Estevanico in the art of exploration. However, in the end he managed to survive through the odds because he could handle the natives tactfully.

In the quest for life and their homeland Estevanico and the others travelled till Arizona and faced both enslavement and several other hardships on their way before they could finally contact their folks once again, after reaching New Spain.

After his return, he found new honour and a respectable place in his society. He became part of the four men group who were supposed to accompany Niza in his famous search for the "Seven Cities of Cibola" in 1539. In spite of the others giving up their journey to the destination they had set out for, Estevanico continued his journey bravely through Arizona and New Mexico.

However, unfortunately he was killed in Hawikuh's Zuni village due to the suspicion of the Zuni villagers. Some believed that this was because of his carrying owl feathers on his medicine gourd; others said that it was because he demanded women and turquoise while still others pointed out that the villagers perhaps disbelieved his claim of being an explorer who represented the Whites.

Estevanico was indeed one of those rare people who did not let his social position discourage him. He learnt the skills of a great explorer and was a survivor who inspired many to defy social barriers and rise to greatness.

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