The Spanish missions in Georgia comprised a series of

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

outposts established by

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

in order to spread the

Christian doctrine Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...

among the

Guale Guale was a historic Native American chiefdom of Mississippian culture peoples located along the coast of present-day Georgia and the Sea Islands. Spanish Florida established its Roman Catholic missionary system in the chiefdom in the late 16th ...

and various

Timucua The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The va ...

peoples in what is now southeastern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Beginning in the second half of the 16th century, the Kingdom of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

established a number of missions throughout

Spanish Florida Spanish Florida () was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. ''La Florida'' formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and th ...

in order to convert the Native Americans to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

, to facilitate control of the area, and to prevent its colonization by other countries, in particular,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Spanish Florida originally included much of what is now the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

, although Spain never exercised long-term effective control over more than the northern part of what is now the state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

from present-day

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

to the area around

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

, southeastern

, and some coastal settlements, such as

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

. A few short-lived missions were established in other locations, including

Mission Santa Elena Santa Elena, a Spanish settlement on what is now Parris Island, South Carolina, was the capital of Spanish Florida from 1566 to 1587. It was established under Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the first governor of Spanish Florida. There had been a numb ...

in present-day

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, around the Florida peninsula, and in the interior of Georgia and

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Missions

This table includes ''doctrinas'', missions that normally had one or more resident missionaries, but does not include ''visitas'', which never had a resident missionary, and had less substantial church buildings where services were conducted by visiting missionaries. } !! References , - , Espogache , , ,

, , 1605–? , , , - , Guale , 31.62534, -81.17348
/sub>, , Guale , , 1568–1570 , , , - ,

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Tolomato Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Tolomato (also called simply Mission Tolomato; in Spanish: ''Our Lady of Guadalupe - or Guadeloupe - of Tolomato'') was a Spanish Catholic mission founded in 1595 in what is now the state of Georgia, located north ...

, , , Guale , , 1587–1597, 1605–? , , , - , Ospo or Talapo , , , Guale , , 1595–1606 , , , - , San Augustín de Urihica , , , Northern Utina , , 1630-1657 , , , - , San Buenaventura de Guadalquini (moved to

St. Johns River The St. Johns River () is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and is the most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders 12 counties. The drop in elevation from River s ...

as Santa Cruz de Guadalquini) , 31.13393, -81.39363
/sub>, , Guale/Mocama , , 1606-1684 , , , - , San Diego de Satuache , 31.89, -81.20083
/sub>, , Guale , , 1616–1675 , , , - , San Felipe de Alabe , , , Guale , , 1616–1655 , , , - , San Felipe (on Cumberland Island) , , , Mocama , , 1675–1678 , , , - , San Joseph de Sapala or San José de Zapala
(

Sapelo Island Sapelo Island is a state-protected barrier island located in McIntosh County, Georgia. The island is accessible only by boat; the primary ferry comes from the Sapelo Island Visitors Center in McIntosh County, Georgia, a seven-mile (11 ...

) , 31.51544, -81.24218
/sub>, , Guale , , 1616–1684 , , , - , San Lorenzo de Ibihica , , , Ibi , , 1612–1630 , , , - , San Pedro de Atulteca
or San Felipe de Athulteca , , , Guale , , 1616–1695 , , , - ,

San Pedro de Mocama Mission San Pedro de Mocama was a Spanish colonial Franciscan mission on Cumberland Island, on the coast of the present-day U.S. state of Georgia, from the late 16th century through the mid-17th century. It was built to serve the Tacatacuru, a Moc ...

(

Cumberland Island Cumberland Island, in the southeastern United States, is the largest of the Sea Islands of Georgia. The long-staple Sea Island cotton was first grown here by a local family, the Millers, who helped Eli Whitney develop the cotton gin. With its ...

) , 30.75415, -81.47263
/sub>, ,

Mocama The Mocama were a Native American people who lived in the coastal areas of what are now northern Florida and southeastern Georgia. A Timucua group, they spoke the dialect known as Mocama, the best-attested dialect of the Timucua language. Their ...

, , 1587–1655(?) , , , - , San Pedro y San Pablo de Puturiba(to) , , , Guale , , 1597(?)–1604(?) , , , - ,

Santa Catalina de Guale Santa Catalina de Guale (1602-1702) was a Spanish Franciscan mission and town in Spanish Florida. Part of Spain's effort to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism, Santa Catalina served as the provincial headquarters of the Guale mission prov ...

(

St. Catherines Island St. Catherines Island is a Sea Islands, sea island on the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, south of Savannah, Georgia, Savannah in Liberty County, Georgia, Liberty County. The island, located between St. Catherine's So ...

and

Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlant ...

, in succession) , 31.62534, -81.17348
/sub> _{(on St. Catherines Island)}, , Guale , , 1595–1597,
1602–1702 , , , - , Santa Clara de Tupiqui (

Sapelo River The Sapelo River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 26, 2011 primarily tidal river in McIntosh County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms between Interstate 95 ...

) , , , Guale , , 1595–1597 , , , - , Santa Cruz de Cachipile , 30.66337, -83.20622
/sub> ,

Arapaha Arapaha (also Arapaja or Harapaha) was a Timucua town on the Alapaha River in the 17th century. The name was also sometimes used to designate a province or sub-province in Spanish Florida. Arapaha entered historical records with the establishmen ...

, , 1655–1657 , , , - , Santa Isabel de Utinahica , , , Unknown , , 1616 , , , - , Santa María de los Angeles de Arapaha , , , Arapaha , , 1630–1657 , , , - , Santiago de Oconi
(near the

Okefenokee Swamp The Okefenokee Swamp is a shallow, 438,000-acre (177,000 ha), peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia–Florida line in the United States. A majority of the swamp is protected by the Okefenokee National Wildlife Ref ...

) , , ,

Oconi The Oconi or Ocone were a Timucua people that spoke a dialect of the Timucua language. They lived in a chiefdom on the margin of or in the Okefenokee Swamp in southeastern Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The Oconi first appeared in Spanish records ...

, , Early 16th century - 1655 , , , - , Santo Domingo de Asao
or Santo Domingo de Talaje , 31.36433, -81.41751
/sub> _{(on the mainland)}, , Guale , , 1595(?)–1680s , , , - , Tupiqui , , , Guale , , 1569–1570 , ,

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

"Spanish Missions" in ''The New Georgia Encyclopedia''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spanish Missions In Georgia Spanish Florida Native American history of Georgia (U.S. state) Pre-statehood history of Georgia (U.S. state) Colonial Mexico Colonial United States (Spanish) New Spain

Spanish colonization of the Americas Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States

Missions

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links