Traditions in Transition

Prior to European contact, the Apalachee used bone stone, shell, clay, plant fibers, and wood for most of their needs. The Spanish traded manufactured goods to the Indians, and durable iron tools replaced bone, stone, and shell, while glass beads and cloth were also in high demand. Although Apalachee women continued making their traditional pottery, they imitated European pottery in a style archaeologists call colonoware. By 1703, San Luis was primarily a Spanish town. Disputes between the Indians and Spaniards led the Apalachee to build new villages away from the mission, and most descriptions of Apalachee villages indicate a dispersed arrangement of houses near agricultural fields rather than compact settlements. San Luis' friars served four such communities within several miles of the mission.

Tallahassee, Florida · United States