THE NATIVE VILLAGE THAT HID HERNANDO DE SOTO’S FIRST CAMP IN AMERICA
He may have searched the building.
He may have used the structure as shelter.
He may have been ordered to take supplies.
At some point, the sword or part of it remained behind.
The exact sequence is unknown.
But the physical possibility illustrates why context matters.
The object becomes connected to a specific place where Native people lived.
The encounter was no longer abstract.