Santa Isabel de Utinahica
Encyclopedia
Santa Isabel de Utinahica (ca. 1610-ca. 1640) was a 17th-century Spanish
mission
believed by the Fernbank Museum of Natural History
to be located in modern-day Telfair County, Georgia
, near Jacksonville
. It served the Utinahica
tribe, who lived in the area. The small mission was a part of a series of missions set up in what was then the northern reaches of the Spanish colony
of Spanish Florida
, similar to the Spanish Missions in California
or Mexico
.
Operating for approximately two decades in the early 17th century, the mission was a religious outpost consisting of one Catholic friar
sent out to convert and monitor the native people at the edges of the colony. The name Utinahica was taken from the local Native American
chiefdom
, themselves a part of the Timucua
people and possibly ancestors of the current Creek people
.
The mission's exact location is not presently known with certainty. In April 2006 the Fernbank Museum of Natural History
and Georgia Department of Natural Resources
began three summer seasons of archeological excavation where the Ocmulgee
and Oconee
rivers converge to form the Altamaha River
. No evidence of the mission was found, and only Muskogean (proto-Creek) architecture and artifacts were uncovered, plus some trade items of probable Spanish origin. In the 17th century the Spanish referred to the Altamaha River as the Rio de Santa Isabel, after the short-lived mission.
refugees.
During the Colonial Era, "Forks of the Altamaha" referred to the confluence of the Ohoopee River
with the Altamaha River, about 50 miles from the Altamaha's outlet near Darien, GA. All Spanish, English and French colonial archives consistently showed the region where the Oconee and Ocmulgee Rivers join to form the Altamaha River to be continuously occupied by Muskogean peoples, until the early 19th century. The confluence of the Oconee and the Ocmulgee River became known as the "Forks of the Altamaha" in the early 19th century. However, some descendants of the Creek Indians, whose ancestors managed to hide out in the swamps along the river, still live in the region.
Spanish colonial archives and maps describe a straight rode being constructed along the northwestern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp, which terminated at the original Forks of the Altamaha - at the confluence of the Ohoopee and Altamaha Rivers. Along this road, small missions were established, that had short livlihoods, due to their proximity to hostile Muskogeans (proto-Creeks.) It is quite possible that Mission of Santa Isabel de Utinahica was located at the terminus of this road. Since the mission was so primitive in construction, and short-lived in existence, there is little little liklihood of any ruins being visible at the surface of the terrain today.
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...
mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
believed by the Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Fernbank Museum of Natural History, in Atlanta, is a museum in that presents exhibitions and programming about natural history that are meant to entertain as well as educate the public. Its mission is to encourage a greater appreciation of the planet and its people...
to be located in modern-day Telfair County, Georgia
Telfair County, Georgia
Telfair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 11,794. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 13,366...
, near Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Georgia
Jacksonville is a town in Telfair County, Georgia, United States. The population was 118 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jacksonville is located at ....
. It served the Utinahica
Utinahica
The Utinahica were a Timucua tribe and chiefdom in the 17th century. They lived in what is now the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia...
tribe, who lived in the area. The small mission was a part of a series of missions set up in what was then the northern reaches of the Spanish colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida
Spanish Florida refers to the Spanish territory of Florida, which formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and the Spanish Empire. Originally extending over what is now the southeastern United States, but with no defined boundaries, la Florida was a component of...
, similar to the Spanish Missions in California
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
or Mexico
Spanish missions in Mexico
The Spanish missions in Mexico are a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholic Franciscans, Jesuits, Augustinians, and Dominicans to spread the Christian doctrine among the local natives...
.
Operating for approximately two decades in the early 17th century, the mission was a religious outpost consisting of one Catholic friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
sent out to convert and monitor the native people at the edges of the colony. The name Utinahica was taken from the local Native American
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...
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...
, themselves a part of the Timucua
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the...
people and possibly ancestors of the current Creek people
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...
.
The mission's exact location is not presently known with certainty. In April 2006 the Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Fernbank Museum of Natural History, in Atlanta, is a museum in that presents exhibitions and programming about natural history that are meant to entertain as well as educate the public. Its mission is to encourage a greater appreciation of the planet and its people...
and Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is an administrative agency of the U.S. state of Georgia. The agency has statewide responsibilities for managing and conserving Georgia’s natural, cultural, and historical resources, and is divided into six divisions:...
began three summer seasons of archeological excavation where the Ocmulgee
Ocmulgee River
The Ocmulgee River is a tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi long, in the U.S. state of Georgia...
and Oconee
Oconee River
The Oconee River is a river which has its origin in Hall County, Georgia, and terminates where it joins the Ocmulgee River to form the Altamaha River near Lumber City at the borders of Montgomery County, Wheeler County, and Jeff Davis County. South of Athens, two forks, known as the North Oconee...
rivers converge to form the Altamaha River
Altamaha River
The Altamaha River is a major river of the American state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties into the ocean near Brunswick, Georgia. There are no dams...
. No evidence of the mission was found, and only Muskogean (proto-Creek) architecture and artifacts were uncovered, plus some trade items of probable Spanish origin. In the 17th century the Spanish referred to the Altamaha River as the Rio de Santa Isabel, after the short-lived mission.
Alternative Location of the Spanish mission of Santa Isabel de Utinahica
At the time that the Fernbank Museum began its extensive search for the mission at the modern-day Forks of the Altamaha, the museum was warned repeatedly by Creek Indian scholars and also, historians, who specialized in Colonial Georgia history, that its archaeologists were looking at the wrong location. The Spanish were not allowed by the ancestors of the Creek Indians to penetrate up the Altamaha River. When a faction of the Tama-tli (Muskogean) people of the region converted to Catholicism in the early 17th century, they were expelled. The Catholic Tama-tli established a mission near present day Valdosta, GA. They eventually moved to Louisiana, where they live to this day in association with ApalacheeApalachee
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...
refugees.
During the Colonial Era, "Forks of the Altamaha" referred to the confluence of the Ohoopee River
Ohoopee River
The Ohoopee River is a river in east-central Georgia in the United States. It is a tributary of the Altamaha River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean.-Course:...
with the Altamaha River, about 50 miles from the Altamaha's outlet near Darien, GA. All Spanish, English and French colonial archives consistently showed the region where the Oconee and Ocmulgee Rivers join to form the Altamaha River to be continuously occupied by Muskogean peoples, until the early 19th century. The confluence of the Oconee and the Ocmulgee River became known as the "Forks of the Altamaha" in the early 19th century. However, some descendants of the Creek Indians, whose ancestors managed to hide out in the swamps along the river, still live in the region.
Spanish colonial archives and maps describe a straight rode being constructed along the northwestern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp, which terminated at the original Forks of the Altamaha - at the confluence of the Ohoopee and Altamaha Rivers. Along this road, small missions were established, that had short livlihoods, due to their proximity to hostile Muskogeans (proto-Creeks.) It is quite possible that Mission of Santa Isabel de Utinahica was located at the terminus of this road. Since the mission was so primitive in construction, and short-lived in existence, there is little little liklihood of any ruins being visible at the surface of the terrain today.