On July 23, 1539, conquistador Hernando de Soto and his advance guard of 12 horsemen passed the small Indian village of Vicela and decided not to stop, pressing farther north to reach the chiefdom of Apalachee before winter. There was also talk that several villages had formed a war band of about 40 men to ambush them. During this time, warfare was common among peoples of the Southeast, with warriors attacking other villages to assert dominance, and the taking of ears, scalps, and heads demonstrating bravery in battle and raising social standing. Children as young as 10 were brought on expeditions as apprentices to tradesmen such as blacksmiths or as squires to nobles, but in battle they were expected to take up arms and fight. Hernando de Soto himself was 14 when he left home to seek his fortune in the New World.