San Miguel de Asile
Encyclopedia
San Miguel de Asile was a Spanish
Franciscan
mission
built in the early 17th century in the Florida Panhandle
, near the present-day town of Lamont
, Florida. It was part of Spain's effort to colonize
the region, and convert the Timucuan and Apalachee
Indians
to Christianity. The mission served a local chiefdom
of the Timucua tribe known as the Yustaga
. It lasted until the first decade of the 18th century, when it was destroyed, possibly by Creek Indians
and the English.
The site where the mission stood was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on December 17, 1974.
The archaeological site was first discovered and investigated by B. Calvin Jones between 1968 and 1972. Jones concluded that the site was that of San Miguel de Asile. More recent archaeological work and research by Alissa Slade casts doubt on Jones's theory. Slade's research indicates the site was not San Miguel de Asile, a Timucuan mission, but rather an Apalachee mission, possibly San Lorenzo de Ivitachuco.
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...
Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
mission
Spanish missions in Florida
Beginning in the second half of the 16th century, the Kingdom of Spain established a number of missions throughout la Florida in order to convert the Indians to Christianity, to facilitate control of the area, and to prevent its colonization by other countries, in particular, England and France...
built in the early 17th century in the Florida Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
, near the present-day town of Lamont
Lamont, Florida
Lamont is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Florida, United States.-Geography:Lamont is located at .Ted Turner's Avalon Plantation is located in Lamont....
, Florida. It was part of Spain's effort to colonize
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
the region, and convert the Timucuan and Apalachee
Apalachee
The Apalachee are a Native American people who historically lived in the Florida Panhandle, and now live primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Their historical territory was known to the Spanish colonists as the Apalachee Province...
Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
to Christianity. The mission served a local chiefdom
Chiefdom
A chiefdom is a political economy that organizes regional populations through a hierarchy of the chief.In anthropological theory, one model of human social development rooted in ideas of cultural evolution describes a chiefdom as a form of social organization more complex than a tribe or a band...
of the Timucua tribe known as the Yustaga
Yustaga
Yustaga may refer to:*The Yustaga people, a branch of the Timucua that lived in northern Florida in the 16th and 17th centuries*USS Yustaga , a fleet tug laid down for the United States Navy in 1945, but converted into a submarine rescue vessel prior to completion and commissioned as USS Skylark ...
. It lasted until the first decade of the 18th century, when it was destroyed, possibly by Creek Indians
Creek people
The Muscogee , also known as the Creek or Creeks, are a Native American people traditionally from the southeastern United States. Mvskoke is their name in traditional spelling. The modern Muscogee live primarily in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida...
and the English.
The site where the mission stood was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 17, 1974.
The archaeological site was first discovered and investigated by B. Calvin Jones between 1968 and 1972. Jones concluded that the site was that of San Miguel de Asile. More recent archaeological work and research by Alissa Slade casts doubt on Jones's theory. Slade's research indicates the site was not San Miguel de Asile, a Timucuan mission, but rather an Apalachee mission, possibly San Lorenzo de Ivitachuco.