The Spanish in South Carolina: Unsettled Frontier
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S.C. Department of Archives & History • Public Programs Document Packet No. 3 THE SPANISH IN SOUTH CAROLINA: UNSETTLED FRONTIER Route of the Spanish treasure fleets Spain, flushed with the reconquest of South Carolina. Effective occupation of its land from the Moors, quickly extended this region would buttress the claims its explorations outward fromthe Spain made on the territory because it had Carrribean Islands and soon dominated discovered and explored it. “Las Indias,” as the new territories were Ponce de Leon unsucessfully known. In over seventy years, their attempted colonization of the Florida explorers and military leaders, known as peninsula in 1521. Five years later, after the Conquistadores, had planted the cross he had sent a ship up the coast of “La of Christianity and raised the royal Florida,” as the land to the north was standard of Spain over an area that called, Vasquez de Ayllon, an official in extended from the present southern United Hispaniola, tried to explore and settle States all the way to Argentina. And, like South Carolina. Reports from that all Europeans who sailed west, the expedition tell us Ayllon and 500 Conquistadores searched for a passage to colonists settled on the coast of South the Orient with its legendary riches of Carolina in 1526 but a severe winter and gold, silver, and spices. attacks from hostile Indians forced them New lands demanded new regulations. to abandon their settlement one year later. Philip II directed In Spain, Queen Isabella laid down In 1528, Panfilo de Navarez set out the settlement policies that would endure for centuries. from Cuba to explore the west coast of of Florida Under the direction of the crown, the Florida. Landing in the Tampa Bay “Casa de Contratacion”—the House of region, he and his army of five to six Trade or ministry of commerce—regu- hundred men marched as far north as Background lated the government of Spain’s new Apalache (Tallahassee) before returning dominions. “Las Leyes de Las Indias"— to the Gulf Coast, where he built ships to October 12, 1492—as he stepped onto the the Laws of the Indies—afforded the carry his men along the rim of the gulf. 1 island of San Salvador in the New World native populations some protection and a Ship wrecks and storms reduced the army that day, little did Christopher Columbus measure of self government, laid out town to four survivors, who reached Mexico realize he had opened a new hemisphere plans, established rules of trade, and years later. for exploration and settlement, intrigue assigned to various individuals areas for A decade after the Navarez expedition, and conflict. Soon, the nation states of exploration and colonization. Hernando De Soto set out to explore and Europe were competing in this New According the Spanish law, everything colonize “La Florida.” He landed in World for territory and natural resources. in the ground belonged to the Crown. Tampa Bay in 1539, and with his army of The Western hemisphere became a new Thus, colonists could look for precious 600 men, as well as priests, horses, pigs, battlefield for European conflicts—wars metals and operate mines provided they and wagons, began a four-year trek that begun on the European continent, whether registered their claims and swore to have held many hardships and adventures and economic, political, or religious, rapidly the metals they found taxed and stamped took the expedition far afield. DeSoto led crossed the Atlantic and spilled into the at royal offices. In1504, the Crown fixed his expedition through Florida and newly discovered lands where the the royal share, or tax, at one quinto (one- Georgia, crossed the Savannah River into European nations were attempting to fifth) of the ore obtained. Later, this was South Carolina in April of 1540, and then carve out large empires. South Carolina lowered to one-tenth. Once a year, a fleet journeyed northeastwards to the would see its share of these Old World, of royal ships carried the bullion and other confluence of the Broad and Saluda New World conflicts. exports such as cochineal and indigo dye Rivers. He reached the Wateree River in Spain and Portugal clashed over their from the New World to Spain. These late April, followed it in a northwesterly rights to establish trading outposts and sailing ships used the Gulf stream and direction, crossed into North Carolina, and look for a route to the Orient. The Pope trade winds to carry them out of the in Rome handily arbitrated the dispute, Caribbean, past the Bahamas, then up the and on June 7, 1494, Spain and Portugal southern coast of the United States as far signed the Treaty of Tordesillas. The as South Carolina. There, they turned treaty granted Spain the territories that lay eastward to cross the Atlantic Ocean. To more than 370 leagues to the west of the protect the ships from pirates and Cape Verde Islands and gave Portugal privateers, the Crown encouraged explora- lands east of the line. Thus, Brazil tion and established missions and colonies became a Portuguese dominion. on the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and A weakened empire, bankruptcy, on agriculture, pearl fishing, and and the difficulties of exploration mining, would become a flourishing forced Philip II to close “La Florida” to empire center. Unfortunately, the colonization in 1561. One year later, Indians of the Southeast were not as however, when a small group of French amenable to European civilization and Protestants, or Huguenots, attempted to sedentary life as those of Mexico and settle on Port Royal Sound, his interest Peru. The sandy coastal soil further renewed. Indian attacks, disease, and frustrated attempts to grow crops and starvation removed this “foreign” raise cattle, and the new settlers, far settlement on Spanish territory without from being self-sufficient, had to ship military action. Then in 1564, the in supplies from Spain, Cuba, and Huguenots set up a second colony, this Mexico. then headed west through Tennessee, one at Fort Caroline at the mouth of the Six months after building the fort at Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. St. John’s River in “La Florida.” To St. Augustine, Menendez´ moved his De Soto died in 1542 on the banks of counter this threat to Spanish capital north. Santa Elena, on Parris the Mississippi River. The survivors sovereignty and trade routes, Pedro Island, became the first permanent continued into Texas where a shortage Menendez´ de Aviles,´ one of Spain’s top European settlement on South of food forced them to retrace their naval officers, swore to oust the French Carolina’s shores and served as the steps. Back at the Mississippi, they settlers and secure Florida for Spain. capital city of “La Florida” for many built barges and used them to float Menendez´ succeeded. He set sail years. Menendez´ chose the spot for its down that river to the Gulf. In 1543, from Spain in June of 1565 with over ideal defensive position—it was close these intrepid survivors finally reached fifteen hundred recruits, seeds, to the point where the treasure fleets Mexico. agricultural implements, and breeding turned east. Interestingly, while the DeSoto animals and by the fall had established Menendez´ also believed he could expedition moved west, another a fort at St. Augustine and built a series find an overland route to short cut the explorer, Francisco Vasquez de of small garrisons, which ran up the distance to Mexico. He sent one of his Coronado, was scouting present-day coast from Santa Lucia (halfway New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas. between present day West Palm Beach DeSoto’s men in Texas heard reports and Ft. Pierce) to Santa Elena (near from the Indians of these other Spanish present day Beaufort, South Carolina). nearby, but the two Spanish forces He annihilated the Protestant French never met. settlement at Fort Caroline and renamed Wars in Europe, Tunis, and Algiers, it San Mateo. He had a vision. and a Lutheran revolt within his empire “La Florida,” with an economy based kept King Charles I of Spain2 and the Spanish military occupied, bankrupted the Spanish treasury, and interrupted Spain’s attempts to colonize “La Florida.” The Casa turned its attention to the development and defense of the Caribbean basin. Philip II, who succeeded his father, Charles I, in 1556, concentrated his forty-two year reign on unifying his Old and New World dominions both politically and religiously. But he incurred limitless expense warring with France and coping with a thirty-year Protestant rebellion in the Netherlands, with threats from the Turks in the East, and with aggressive English raids on trade, treasure fleets, and Roman Catholic missions in Las Indias. Spanish missions about 1650 lieutenants, Juan Pardo, to the interior to In 1670, the English settled in obtain corn, find mines, and locate an Charleston on the coast of South overland route. Pardo journeyed twice to Carolina. Drake’s successful raids on the interior, reached the Tennessee Spanish possessions and his rout of the Valley, and returned with a much Spanish Armada had increased needed supply of corn, with claims to England’s confidence and heightened several mines, but without the short cut its aggression,which resulted in the to Mexico. Menendez had underesti- founding of Jamestown, Virginia in Mission building with walls of wooden mated the distance; the overland route 1608. The area between the new boards and a roof of thatch would wait. settlement of Charles Town and St. Santa Elena curbed French Augustine, often called the “debatable once encompassed territory from the exploration and settlement in the land,” soon became the scene of Atlantic Ocean to the Rio Grande River Carolinas. It also became the departure conflict.