See also Joara
Santa Elena (1566-1587) was a Spanish outpost founded by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés [1] on what is present-day Parris Island, South Carolina. Originally intended as the capital of the Spanish colony of La Florida, its establishment followed the destruction of the French Charlesfort by Menéndez in 1565. Santa Elena housed a sizeable community, and became the base of operations for the Jesuits and military working in the northern zone of Spanish Florida.
In 1567 Governor Pedro Menéndez ordered an expedition, led by Captain Juan Pardo, to go from Santa Elena to the interior of North America. Pardo's mission was to pacify and convert the natives and find an overland route to silver mines in Mexico.[2] In December, 1566, a contingent of 125 men left on the first of two Pardo expeditions inland in 1566-1568; neither of Pardo's expeditions reached beyond the Appalachian Mountains.
The Pardo expedition created the first Spanish and European settlement in the interior of what became North Carolina. Juan Pardo led his men to Joara, a large regional center of the Mississippian culture near present-day Morganton. Pardo renamed the village Cuenca, as he claimed it for Spain. The Spanish built Fort San Juan and made a base there for the winter. Pardo left a contingent of 30 men. In an expedition the following year, Pardo went on to build five more forts, leaving garrisons down the Appalachian spine. He returned to Santa Elena without going back through Joara. After 18 months, the natives attacked the soldiers, killing all but one of the 120 at the various forts and burning all the forts. The Spanish never returned to press their colonial claim in the interior.[3]
In 1576, natives of nearby Orista and Escamacu settlements burned Santa Elena. The Spanish abandoned Fort San Felipe, which was also burned. A year later, the Spanish returned and rebuilt the settlement, at the same time constructing a new battlement named Fort San Marcos (South Carolina). After nearly a decade, in the latter half of 1587, the Spanish retreated to present-day Florida and totally abandoned Santa Elena. Escamacu natives, converted to Christianity before the Spaniards abandoned the site in 1587, survived as a tribe into the early 17th century. After that their survivors were assimilated into larger tribes.
During its 21 years of Spanish occupation, Santa Elena was home to a series of fortifications, including Fort San Salvador, built by Menéndez in 1566, Fort San Felipe, established after the arrival of additional troops and supplies, and Fort San Marcos, erected during the second occupation at Santa Elena. In recent years, the site of Santa Elena has been extensively studied through archaeological investigation.[4] [5]
See also
References
- ^ Stanley South, The Discovery of Santa Elena. South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, Research Manuscript Series 165. University of South Carolina, Columbia, 1980.
- ^ History of Santa Elena. Santa Elena Project http://www.cas.sc.edu/sciaa/staff/depratterc/hstory1.html
- ^ Constance E. Richards, "Contact and Conflict" [1], American Archaeologist, Spring 2008, accessed 26 Jun 2008
- ^ Stanley South, The Search for Santa Elena. South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, Research Manuscript Series 150, University of South Carolina, Columbia. 1979.
- ^ Stanley South and Chester DePratter, Discovery at Santa Elena: Block Excavation. South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, Research Manuscript Series 222. University of South Carolina, Columbia, 1996.
- Spanish Missions in La Florida: Santa Elena
- South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology: Santa Elena and Charlesfort Project
- Native American Tribes of South Carolina
- SCIway: South Carolina Indians
External links
- "Santa Elena- History and Archaeology", University of South Carolina
 |
This article relating to the history of the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
