Today was a low activity day. I knew my time was flexible so I had not set an alarm and woke up too late to get breakfast at my hotel. After satisfying my hunger I got on the road to Tallahassee, the capital of Florida. The 150 mile drive was very pleasant, mainly passing through agricultural scenery, forests and small rural communities before reaching Interstate 10 for the final third of the journey.
On arriving in Tallahassee I visited the Mission San Luis where Spanish missionaries co-existed peacefully with the Apalachee Indians for about 70 years starting in 1633. Although none of the original structures exist the site has been carefully researched and the major buildings authentically reconstructed (with the addition of sprinklers and extra doors for evacuation). It is operated by the State of Florida as a Living History Museum and there are costumed guides in all of the main buildings to describe life at the mission and answer questions.
Although only about 200 Spaniards lived at the mission they were able to mingle cultures and inter-marry with the 20,000 Apalachee and convert them to Catholicism. The mission was burned and abandoned in 1704 as an army of Creek Indian and English invaders was closing in. The Apalachee people, who had farmed the area since about 1300, dispersed with some going north with the English, some seeking refuge in St. Augustine or Havana with the Spanish and some moving west to Alabama. As a result their culture effectively disappeared.
The Apalachee Council Meeting structure at Mission San Luis is believed to be the largest building constructed by native peoples in the US.
As well as plenty of room for large council meetings there were dozens of beds around the outer wall that were used to accommodate the many mission visitors and traders.
The Church was of huge importance to both the Spanish and Apalachee people and could hold as many as 1,000 worshipers
Wow! Did not know this.
Kusum