When I googled “things to do” in Tallahassee, Mission San Luis was near the top of the list. I had never heard of it, but after a little research knew that we would enjoy a visit. And, it’s dog-friendly. Perfect!
Admission tickets are purchased in front of the gift shop. And, we brought our dog, Sadie, through the building to enter the Mission.
The Apalachee Indians, who inhabited this part of Florida, were one of the most advanced and powerful in the region with a far-reaching trade network. Positions of power were inherited through female relatives. When a chief died, his oldest sister’s oldest son became chief. Families lived in palm-thatched huts close to their agricultural fields (cultivated by the women and children), while men hunted and protected the villages.
Colonies of Spain were governed by the Catholic Church and the King of Spain (and his designees). One hundred missions were founded in the southeast; mostly small churches along El Camino Real (Royal Road). The 200-mile route was between St. Augustine and the Apalachee Province.
Apalachee Indians and Spaniards lived together here in harmony for about 50 years. While there was widespread adoption of Christianity, some native traditions continued (including the traditional ballgame dedicated to gods of rain and thunder). The mission was the western capital of Spanish Florida from 1656 to 1704.
Archeology began here in the 1980s recovering 950,000 artifacts and 16 tons of building materials. The mission has been reconstructed based on the discoveries. As we approached the central plaza of Mission San Luis, we were immediately drawn to the massive Council House.
You can see John and Sadie standing in front of it (below) to give you an idea of the size of the thatched structure. It is 120’ in diameter and could hold 2,000+ people. It was used by tribal chiefs to govern the village, evaluate complaints, administer justice, and conduct traditional Apalachee rituals. A large hole in the roof allowed the smoke to escape from a large fire built in the center of the building.
Visitors were received here (many made pilgrimages to this mission at the western end of the El Camino Real). Large cubicles built around the perimeter of the Council House were overnight accommodations for visiting families.
Spanish families built 2-room cottages (casitas) closer to the central plaza than the Apalachee homes. Cooking was outside for both the Spanish families and the Apalachee. Intermarriage was common between Spanish men and Apalachee women. The Indian women held more status in the community than European women at the time.
Demonstrations are held in the blacksmith shop producing nails and other items needed at the mission in the late 1600 and early 1700s.
The fort at the mission, Castillo de San Luis, was a 70’ x 40’ blockhouse (completed in 1697) that accommodated 45 soldiers. Palisades and a moat protected the fort from attack. Period-costumed guides provided interesting facts about the fort.
Continuing our walking tour of the grounds, we came to the Apalachee Dwelling wireframe. Built to scale, it provides a perspective on the size of the thatched structures Indians built near their agricultural fields.
The Friary was divided into private and public spaces, providing living accommodations for the friars.
There was a large garden next to it and a detached kitchen (accessible via a covered walkway).
The size of the Franciscan Church at Mission San Luis was exactly the same as its counterpart in St. Augustine. The doors of the church and the entry to the Council House faced each other across the circular plaza of the mission. During the reconstruction of the church, great care was taken to avoid any disturbance to the 900 mission residents buried beneath it.
Almost all of the Native Americans of Spanish Florida were wiped out by battles with American colonists of La Florida and the Carolinas. One hundred missions were destroyed in the process. By 1701, England had declared war with Spain and France. When the English and Creek were close to Mission San Luis, the Spanish and Apalachee burned all of the buildings and fled.
Admission is $3/seniors ($5/adults), a real bargain! And the Mission is located on a hill just two miles from the capitol building in Tallahassee. We highly recommend a visit to this National Historic Landmark. We learned so much about the Apalachee and Spanish during this time in Florida’s history, really fascinating. For additional information about Mission San Luis, go to www.missionsanluis.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment