Juan Pardo (explorer)
Encyclopedia
Juan Pardo was a Spanish
explorer and conquistador
who was active in the later half of the sixteenth century. He led a Spanish
expedition through what is now North and South Carolina and into eastern Tennessee. He established Fort San Felipe, South Carolina (1566), and the village of Santa Elena on present-day Parris Island
, the first Spanish settlements in South Carolina
. While leading an expedition deeper in-country, Pardo founded Fort San Juan at Joara
, the first Spanish settlement (1567–1568) in the interior of North Carolina
.
Pardo led two expeditions from Santa Elena into the interior of the southeast United States. The first, from December 1566 to March 1567, numbered 125 men and was to seek food and to establish bases among the region's indigenous people. He established Fort San Juan at Joara
, a Mississippian culture
center (near present-day Morganton, North Carolina
) and left a garrison behind. Claiming the settlement for Spain, he renamed it Cuenca.
Pardo led a second expedition from September 1567 to March 1568 and explored the Piedmont interior and south along the Appalachian Mountains. He established additional forts to supply a land route to Zacatecas
in present-day Mexico, where the Spanish had silver mines they wanted to protect. Pardo returned to Santa Elena when he learned of a French raid there.
Later in 1568, the Native Americans
turned against Pardo's garrisons in the interior, killing all but one of the 120 men and burning down all six forts. The Spanish did not return to the North Carolina interior.
A stone believed to have been inscribed by Pardo or one of his men is in the collection of the Spartanburg
Regional Museum of History. It is inscribed with an arrow and the year 1567. The stone (#454865) was found by a farmer in Inman, South Carolina
.
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
explorer and conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
who was active in the later half of the sixteenth century. He led a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
expedition through what is now North and South Carolina and into eastern Tennessee. He established Fort San Felipe, South Carolina (1566), and the village of Santa Elena on present-day Parris Island
Parris Island, South Carolina
Parris Island is a former census-designated place , currently a portion of Port Royal in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,841 at the 2000 census. As defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, Parris Island is included within the Beaufort Urban Cluster and the larger...
, the first Spanish settlements in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. While leading an expedition deeper in-country, Pardo founded Fort San Juan at Joara
Joara
Joara was a large Native American settlement, a regional chiefdom of the Mississippian culture, located in what is now Burke County, North Carolina. Joara is notable as a significant archaeological and historic site. It was a place of encounter in 1540 between the Mississippian people and the...
, the first Spanish settlement (1567–1568) in the interior of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Pardo led two expeditions from Santa Elena into the interior of the southeast United States. The first, from December 1566 to March 1567, numbered 125 men and was to seek food and to establish bases among the region's indigenous people. He established Fort San Juan at Joara
Joara
Joara was a large Native American settlement, a regional chiefdom of the Mississippian culture, located in what is now Burke County, North Carolina. Joara is notable as a significant archaeological and historic site. It was a place of encounter in 1540 between the Mississippian people and the...
, a Mississippian culture
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
center (near present-day Morganton, North Carolina
Morganton, North Carolina
Morganton is a city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. Reader's Digest included Morganton in its list of top ten places to raise a family. The town was recently profiled in The 50 Best Small Southern Towns. The population was 17,310 at the 2000 census...
) and left a garrison behind. Claiming the settlement for Spain, he renamed it Cuenca.
Pardo led a second expedition from September 1567 to March 1568 and explored the Piedmont interior and south along the Appalachian Mountains. He established additional forts to supply a land route to Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
in present-day Mexico, where the Spanish had silver mines they wanted to protect. Pardo returned to Santa Elena when he learned of a French raid there.
Later in 1568, the Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
turned against Pardo's garrisons in the interior, killing all but one of the 120 men and burning down all six forts. The Spanish did not return to the North Carolina interior.
A stone believed to have been inscribed by Pardo or one of his men is in the collection of the Spartanburg
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
Regional Museum of History. It is inscribed with an arrow and the year 1567. The stone (#454865) was found by a farmer in Inman, South Carolina
Inman, South Carolina
Inman is a city in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,321 at the 2010 census.Inman is a small community located in the Upstate region of South Carolina...
.
Archaeological evidence
Since 1986, archaeologists working at the Berry Site near Morganton have found evidence of mound culture, burned huts and 16th-century Spanish artifacts. There is strong scholarly consensus that this is the site of Joara and Fort San Juan. In 2007, the archaeologists fully excavated one of the burned huts. They found a Spanish iron scale typical of what the expedition would have used.External links
- "Juan Pardo Expeditions", North Carolina History Project