De Luna statue unveiled

The New Tristan de Luna statue was unveiled in Pensacola Thursday.

A view from the front and the back.

To be honest I'm not too sure about baldric holding the sword or the sword hilt for that matter as being correct for the 1560's, still not too bad a representation.



And here's a very short interview about the Luna expedition with about half of it wasted on morning show 'happy talk'.

Highway Marker Salutes 16th Century Spanish Fort

I just got this press release:

Highway Marker Salutes 16th Century Spanish Fort

RALEIGH – In a place called Xuala, Joara, Cuena, and now Morganton, the 16th century Spanish explorer Capt. Juan Pardo and his men constructed a fort. Garrisoned with 30 soldiers and called Fort San Juan, it was the largest of several fortifications Pardo constructed. Within two years all were destroyed. The memory of Fort San Juan will be honored by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources with a N. C. Highway Historical Marker dedication on Aug. 15, at 11 a.m., at McDowell House on St. Mary’s Church Rd. The marker will stand at Green St. and Bost Rd. in Morganton.

In May 1568, word reached Santa Elena, now Parris Island, Fla., that the forts had been destroyed by American Indians for reasons unknown. Evidence suggests that during the 18 months the Spanish made too many demands on their hosts and may have behaved inappropriately with native women. Today the archaeological site near Morganton continues to produce artifacts that support the theory that the tract was the location of Fort San Juan The 12 acre tract, known as the Berry Site, belongs to the Berry family and has yielded artifacts including Spanish olive jars, pieces of chain mail, pipes, and other articles consistent with long-term occupation. The excavated buildings are appropriate to a 16th century Spanish fort, and more significantly, the buildings were all burned at the same time.

Each summer the public is invited to volunteer at the Berry Site for an archaeological field school. The site has born many names as a result of early European and American Indian contact. By any name it is among premier archaeological site in America.

For additional information about the marker dedication, contact Dr. David Moore at (828) 298-3325. For information about the Highway Marker Program, contact Ansley Wegner at (919) 807-7290.

Pensacola 450 in in the News

Celebrating 450 years
Pensacola News Journal
Aug. 15, 1559, landing of Spanish conquistador Don Tristan de Luna on the shores of what is now known as Pensacola Bay. While some of the events to date have ...

"The big day is Saturday — 450 years since the Aug. 15, 1559, landing of Spanish conquistador Don Tristan de Luna on the shores of what is now known as Pensacola Bay.

While some of the events to date have been ticketed affairs, Celebrate Pensacola's last shebang is focused on providing free, family fun for residents and visitors of all ages, Lee said.

The kickoff to the big party begins at 5 p.m. Thursday with the unveiling of a bronze statute of a Spanish conquistador at Plaza de Luna. The statue is to serve as the permanent legacy of the 450th anniversary....

....Saturday's festivities begin with an 8:30 a.m. re-enactment of Luna's landing and a Catholic Mass at Fort Pickens gate on Pensacola Beach...."


I note that at Pensacola's Fiesta of Five Flags held in early June (same weekend as of Drake's Raid in St. Augustine) that ..."The DeLuna Landing Ceremony is a light hearted re-enactment of what might have happened when Don Tristan de Luna landed." This is presented by a local Mardi Gras style 'Krewe'. Has anybody heard of a 'serious' reenactment group being involved in next weekend's landing event? With all the great archeology coming out of the Emanuel Point wrecks it would be a shame if the reenactment is absolutely farbulous.

Drake's Raid Video

We're definitely in the summer doldrums right now, and no major events until early September. I missed the annual Drake's Raid in St. Augustine this year for the first time since the early 1990's due to the flu. But I found some video of the event.

This one is of Brad Rivard firing one of his small breech loading versos.
A small Spanish canon, Drakes Raid


Elizabeth Neily (floridafrontiers) has put together and posted a well made Drakes Raid 2009.

T

Comfortable Conquistador Clothing 2

Again this is from: History of the Indies Bartolome de las Casas. Collard, Andrée M. trans. & ed.
Harper Torch Books, New York, New York 1971
p.197

c.1511 Darién (Panama)

"The messenger asked for Vasco Núñez [Balboa]. 'There he is.' someone said. pointing to a man dressed in a cotton blouse over a linen shirt and wearing hemp sandals and coarse breeches [not trousers? ;)], who was looking on and helping his slaves at thatching a house. The man stared, for he could not believe that was the Vasco Núñez, whose exploits and riches were so famous in Castile that he expected to see him seated on a majestic throne."

I just wish that Las Casas would be as specific as to what 'armor' was being worn.

Northern Most Known Bastion of Spanish Florida Marker

Hhere's a nice little site on the Santa Elena/Charlesfort site at Parris Island, South Carolina

Northern Most Known Bastion of Spanish Florida Marker

Both the Fort and the settlement were abandoned in 1587 when the inhabitants were withdrawn to St. Augustine to strengthen its defenses following Sir Francis Drake's raid of the previous year. Erected by Beaufort County Historical ...

DeSoto is car not a Conquistador!

A news item reminds me that "DeSoto" is a car and not a conquistador, though "Soto" is actually proper but as a practical matter "De Soto" is in and will continue to be in common use.


THIS WEEK IN MICHIGAN HISTORY DeSoto is founded in 1928 by Chrysler

Detroit Free Press
The mid-range priced auto was named after the Hernando De Soto -- a 16th-Century Spanish conquistador whose explorations took him to North and South America ...