Frosty Stuff

Estevanico, the First African Man to Explore the Americas His contribution to various expeditions has been largely overlooked. By Lee D'Amato | Published Nov 18, 2022 Adapted from: https://explorethearchive.com/estevanico Photo Credit: Texas State Historical Association One of the earliest explorers of North America was an African-born slave by the name of Esteban de Dorantes, or Estevanico. Despite his indispensable role in European exploration and colonization of the Americas, Estevanico is often sidelined in historical accounts…  The mystery surrounding Estevanico begins with his first breath. We know that he was born circa 1500, and his birth name, Mustafa Azemmouri, suggests that he hailed from the Moroccan city of Azemmour. It is unknown how he came to be a slave, but he was eventually purchased by Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, the son of a Spanish lower nobleman. At Dorantes’ insistence, Azemmouri converted to Catholicism and took the name Estevan, from which he eventually g