Anhaica (also known as Iviahica, Yniahico, and pueblo of Apalache) was the principal town of the

Apalachee The Apalachee were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, specifically an Indigenous people of Florida, who lived in the Florida Panhandle until the early 18th century. They lived between the Aucilla River and Ochlockonee River,B ...

people, located in what is now

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

. In the early period of Spanish colonization, it was the capital of the

Apalachee Province Apalachee Province was the area in the Panhandle of the present-day U.S. state of Florida inhabited by the Native American peoples known as the Apalachee at the time of European contact. The southernmost extent of the Mississippian culture, th ...

. The site, now known as Martin Archaeological Site, was rediscovered in 1988.

History

In the late pre-invasion era the site became the capital of the Apalachee after the abandonment of the former capital, the Lake Jackson Mounds Site, in approximately 1500. The fact that no

platform mound Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

s are found at Anhaica may indicate a political change. Either Anhiaca was not occupied long enough for the construction of mounds to begin, or mounds were no longer being built. Also, disease could have been introduced from the

Pánfilo de Narváez Pánfilo de Narváez (; 147?–1528) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' and soldier in the Americas. Born in Spain, he first embarked to Jamaica in 1510 as a soldier. He came to participate in the conquest of Cuba and led an expedition to Camag� ...

expedition through

in 1528 reducing population, changing village location and/or

mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically highe ...

-building activities. Anhaica had 250 buildings when

Hernando de Soto Hernando de Soto (; ; 1500 – 21 May, 1542) was a Spanish explorer and ''conquistador'' who was involved in expeditions in Nicaragua and the Yucatan Peninsula. He played an important role in Francisco Pizarro's conquest of the Inca Empire ...

set up camp there on October 6, 1539, forcing the Apalachee to abandon the village. De Soto left the town in March 1540. About 1633, the

Franciscan Order The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

's Mission La Purificacion de Tama established a mission at the site of Anhaica.

Rediscovery

Anhaica was rediscovered in 1988 by

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

archaeologist B. Calvin Jones on the grounds of the Gov. John W. Martin House in Tallahassee. Now known as the Martin Archaeological Site ( 8LE853B), the site has produced examples of early sixteenth-century Spanish coins, olive jars, chain mail, and crossbow quarrels and is considered to have the best claim to be the winter encampment of the de Soto expedition. It is now part of the DeSoto Site Historic State Park.

References

Obsolete De Soto Trail Theory
– De Soto's winter encampment in Tallahassee *Hann, John H. and McEwan, Bonnie G., ''The Apalachee Indians and

Mission San Luis Mission San Luis may refer to: * Mission San Luis de Apalachee, in Florida * Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, in San Luis Obispo, California * Mission San Luis Rey de Francia Mission San Luis Rey de Francia ( es, Misión San Luis Rey de Franc ...

'', University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 1998.
Tallahassee Trust
Apalachee Fort Walton culture Archaeological sites in Florida Geography of Tallahassee, Florida Spanish Florida Native American populated places History of Tallahassee, Florida Former populated places in Leon County, Florida {{TallahasseeFL-stub

History

Rediscovery

See also

References