Native American Towns and Spanish Colonists
in Western North Carolina, 1540 - 1568
by Dr. Chris Rodning, Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology, Tulane University
Wednesday, March 24th at 7pm
A summary of documentary evidence of Spanish exploration in western North Carolina from 1540 to 1568, and it discusses ongoing archaeological investigations of the effects of early encounters between Native American groups and Spanish colonists in western North Carolina during the sixteenth century. Seventeen years after Hernando de Soto traversed western North Carolina, in 1540, expeditions led by Captain Juan Pardo attempted to establish permanent Spanish settlements in the interior Southeast, at the northern edge of the Spanish province of La Florida. Throughout the sixteenth century, Spanish colonists had attempted to establish an overland route connecting La Florida to New Spain, in what is now Mexico and the American Southwest. As part of this effort, Pardo established six forts in the Carolinas and in eastern Tennessee. His primary outpost, Fort San Juan, was built in 1567 at the Native American town of Joara, located at the Berry site, in the upper Catawba River Valley of western North Carolina.
Photos from the Lecture:
Dr. Rodning invites those who would like to know more about the Joara site to visit the Foundation's website: