 Hernando de Soto first explored west-central North Carolina during his 1539–1540 expedition.His first encounter with a native settlement in North Carolina may have been at Guaquilli near modern Hickory.In 1567, Captain Juan Pardo led an expedition from Santa Elena at Parris Island, South Carolina, then the capital of the Spanish colony in the Southeast, into the interior of North Carolina, largely following De Soto's earlier route.