Early Examples of Spanish Colonial Architecture

Architect Richard Thornton is a member of an alliance of Creek, Choctaw and Seminole scholars, who over the past seven years have been intensely studying the heritage of the Muskogean peoples. Much of their activities have involved re-examination of the archives of the early Spanish, English and French exploration of the Southeastern United States. We have asked Richard to provide AccessGenealogy with some of his work.  As we add to these articles we will also be providing a question and answer section for the reader to ask questions of Richard.

It is one of the earliest known examples of Spanish Colonial architecture

There were three attempts to establish missions on the island beginning in 1567. Guale is the Castilian spelling of the Wahale People. The Spanish would have pronounced Guale as "Wally." Wahale means "Southerners" in a the Hitchiti-Creek language.

To fully understand the era in which the Spanish were establishing many missions in the South Atlantic States, one must also appreciate the catastrophic impact of European pathogens and weapons on the Native Peoples. It has been estimated that the population of the Timucua People of northeast Florida and the southeastern tip of Georgia dropped from 750,000 to 175,000 in the 15 years from 1715 to 1730. These catastrophic death rates were due to the spread of European diseases via intermittent visits by European ships. Imagine what the United States and Canada would be like if 250 million people died in a 15 year period?

Jesuit missionaries constructed a mission on St. Catherines Island in 1567. It was abandoned the next year. After the Jesuits evacuated the islands, it became a dangerous place for Spaniards. It is suspected that Frenchmen seeking revenge for the Fort Caroline massacre in 1565, were inciting the Wahale’s. In 1573 a Spanish officer named Aguilar and fourteen or fifteen soldiers were killed in the province of Guale. In 1578 a Captain Otalona and other officials were killed in the Guale town of Ospogue..

The front of the church had much heavier structures than was typical of
Spanish missions in the Southeast. This is one alternative
interpretation of the archaeologists' findings.
Credit: VR images by Richard Thornton, Architect

According to some Spanish archives, Franciscan missions were opened in Guale in 1594, but In 1597 there were definitely five missionaries in this region, when a rebellion broke out against the new Spanish missions. Four out five of the missionaries were killed. The fifth was tortured, but survived. This tragedy will be discussed in Part Three.

There was a third attempt to establish a mission on the island in 1602. By 1604 a mission complex had been constructed. This mission church was a simple rectangular structure only 32 feet by 52 feet in size. There was no evidence of a narthex or even a raised altar. The 32 feet span of the roof was most likely supported by wood trusses. The foundation and frame were post-ditch construction with waddle & daub walls. They were constructed just like nearby Native American buildings. The spacing of large posts on the side suggested that the side wall contained large openings that functioned as screened windows. In Muskogean and Mesoamerican buildings, river cane slats would have functioned as screens. Perhaps at some time in the history of the church, wood louvers were installed, but this is not certain.

Wahale villages were required to place a cross and a Spanish flag near the entrance to their villages to show their allegiance to Spain.
Photo: VR Image by Richard Thornton

At the rear of the main sanctuary was a 13 feet wide wood frame addition. It has been speculated by archaeologists that this space was used as a storage shed for items used in the Mass.

Unlike the early mission churches that have been studied by archaeologists in northern Florida, this building had a very thick front wall that contained unusually large internal wood columns, plus pilasters that flanked the front door. The rear wall was wood frame. These stout structural supports suggested to the author that the front of the church looked more like the early Franciscan churches in Cuba and Yucatan. Those had three bells above the door in a parapet. This facade was a simplified version of the architectural logo of Franciscan churches in Europe. However, the archaeologist for the museum that hired this architect to interpret the site, insisted that the church must look like church in Florida excavated by a prominent archaeologist even though that church did not have the same floor plan or structural details. The general public rarely is aware of the behind the scenes reasons for the interpretation of history.

Archaeologists made a macabre discovery when excavating the interior of the church. The soil was filled with human bones! In fact, so many burials had been placed one atop another that it was often extremely difficult to determine which bones belonged together. The oldest bones had deteriorated in the acid soil, but it is estimated that at least 431 persons were buried underneath the dirt floor of the church.

Burial under the floors of Franciscan missions seems to have been primarily a custom in the Southeast. It most likely originated from the Muskogean tradition during the period between 900 AD and 1500 AD of commoners being buried under the floors of their houses, while members of elite families were buried in mounds. Burial of all parishioners in good standing inside the church, symbolized that as Christians, they all were equal before God. Ironically, though, while in this world, most Wahale were NOT equal with Spanish Christians. The chiefs wore Spanish clothes and had special privileges. Others, were at best, were serfs of the Church. When carrying out their mandatory labor for the Spanish Crown, they were essentially treated as slave laborers, sometimes compensated by beads and crucifixes.

The house of the priest, called a convento in Spanish, was virtually identical to the house of the leader of the village. It had three small rooms and a single door, plus a covered porch. The walls were waddle and daub (adobe) but plaster with a crude white lime stucco. The roof was thatched.

There was also a small kitchen, called a cocina in Spanish. The structure was almost identical to a communal kitchen in a Wahale village. However, instead of a circular hearth in the floor, the Spanish constructed a large beehive shaped oven inside the concina that was capable of cooking meals for both the priest and visiting Spanish officials.

Near the end of the lifespan of Mission Santa Catalina de Guale, a stone fort was built to protect the village from pirates and slave-raiders. However, the fort was captured by a large party of Virginia Indians on a slave raid sponsored by the English in 1680. The mission was quickly abandoned and the survivors moved closer to Saint Augustine. At the present time, the location of the stone fort at St. Catherines Island is not known.

We know that the priests grew flowers and vegetables around his house.
Peaches were introduced to North America here.
Credit: VR images by Richard Thornton, Architect

Part 1 | Part 3

Notes About this Material

Source: Richard Thornton, an alliance of Muskogean scholars, professors and professionals. Copyright Richard Thornton, Blairsville, GA, 2010. Used here with permission. 

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