Archaeologist uncovers hidden history of conquistadors in American South

Archaeologist uncovers hidden history of conquistadors in American South
February 28, 2018, Tulane University




An image taken in June 2017 by a camera mounted on a drone displays the exposed remnants of Fort San Juan. Excavations of this
area of the site will be continued in June 2018. Credit: Ryan Wallace

Chris Rodning, the Paul and Debra Gibbons Professor in the Tulane School of Liberal Arts' Department of Anthropology, unravels early entanglements between Native Americans and European explorers, revealing how their interactions shaped the history of the American South.

"Native Americans' responses to Spanish explorers and colonists form an important part of the story behind the history of European colonialism in North America," said Rodning, who conducts archaeological research at Fort San Juan—the earliest known permanent European settlement in the interior United States, located near Morganton, North Carolina.

. . .

In 1540, the conquistador Hernando de Soto traversed this part of western North Carolina.

"He threatened communities with violence, demanded food and sometimes attacked when they did not comply with his demands. He also pressed Native Americans into service as porters to carry supplies for his men," said Rodning.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-02-archaeologist-uncovers-hidden-history-conquistadors.html#jCp