Essay On Mission San Luis De Talimali

Mission San Luis de Talimali

Before and Start of Mission
Mission San Luis de Talimali was unique and one of the most important missions in the seventeenth century Florida by serving as a center for nearby missions and Spanish military stronghold. It was built in 1633 in the Florida Panhandle. The legislative leader of Florida around then was Luis Horrouytiner and the new mission may have been dedicated San Luis in his honor.(McEwan) It’s population were predominantly Apalachee Indians who were descendants of those people whose village Hernando de Soto invaded during the winter of 1539-1540. The Apalachees were the most culturally advanced of Florida’s native people.
The purpose of the Mission San Luis de Talimali, as many others, was the

Spanish attempt to colonize the area and during the process of colonization, convert the Apalachee Indians to Christianity. The Apalachee Indians were the ones who requested the presence of the Spanish friars in their village, after they have lost their faith in their leaders and their customs. By 1635, five thousand of them were baptized into Christianity.
They constructed a Church in the Mission San Luis de Talimali, which was the same size as the church in Saint Augustine. The design of it is known as the Golden Rectangle, which was used in construction of churches since 300 B. C.
Daily Life/Customs
The Apalachee men and women were excellent agriculturalists and provided much of the food for the mission as well as export to places like Saint Augustine and Havana. The Spanish introduced European plants and animals to the mission. “In exchange for their hides, meat, tallow, corn, and beans, enterprising Spaniards were able to obtain goods from Mexico, South America, Europe, and the Orient.”(McEwan) Also, they imported wine. ‘ Most occupants are accepted to have lived generally agreeable, now and then even prosperous, lives. In spite of the way that individuals did not generally have what they needed to eat, there were never any genuine nourishment deficiencies. Ministers did gripe about the absence of religious supplies and prescription, and pay for officers and monks was frequently late.’ (McEwan) ‘on the other hand, there is no doubt that numerous Apalachee, especially the conventional ordinary people, had a hard life under Spanish guideline, focused by workaholic behavior or enduring ill-use and abuse on account of Spanish military authorities and regular citizens who abused them.’ (McEwan) Some Spaniards were known for their evil treatment of the Apalachee Indians, they were constantly aware of the way that they were a little minority living amidst an effective Indian chiefdom.(McEwan)
While the size of most other Apalachee missions declined rapidly over the years, the population of San Luis increased.

Christianity in the Mission meant a lot of changes in the lives of the Apalachee. “From marriage to funeral practices, holidays to education, the church influenced nearly every aspect of daily life. In order for both parties to coexist, they both had to alter some of their customs and traditions.’’ (Mission San Luis De Apalachee). Spaniards would marry Apalachee women whom will continue her traditions and customs at her new household. The Apalachee women viewed the marriage as a step up in the community for her and her

descendants.
The bells of the Church were a way to announce the different activities that were schedule throughout the day.

Everybody in the Mission had to attend Church events like evening prayers, Sunday mass, and other. One important event in the lives of the Apalachee was a ball game. It was a very important tradition for them because the game was played for the ‘God of rain and thunder to ensure rain for the crops.” (Mission San Luis De Apalachee) Before the game there was a ritual of purification at the council house. The chief couldn’t eat food during the whole day. He could only smoke tobacco and drink Cassina to the point of sickness. Cassina was made out of the leaves of yaupon holly and is packed with caffeine. This drink is also known as Black Drink and could only be served at the council house with exception from permission from the chief.
At the top of the hill lived the leaders of the village. The rest of the Apalachee lived and worked in areas surrounding their fields. They only came to the center of the mission when there was a special event.
The Spanish trained the Apalachee on how to use firearms. This was an advantage for the Spaniards on times of raids as the natives outnumbered them.
By 1690 a visitor to the mission describe it as looking as a one of Spain’s

city.
Revolt
The vicinity of Spanish authorities and fighters in their region was an unwelcome improvement for some Apalachee Indians. In 1647, a percentage of the Apalachee arranged a rebellion to wipe out the Spaniards. They attracted Claudio Florencia and his family to a celebration at the neighboring town of Bacuqua and butchered them.(McEwan)
After the rebellion, Apalachee men were required to work on public projects in Saint Augustine or on Spanish-possessed farms. This provoked huge changes to family life. Another result of the rebellion was that numerous eras of Florencias would acquire vital positions in Apalachee Province in the years to come. Their mentality towards the natives were verifiably impacted by the memory that natives had slaughtered individuals from their kinsfolk.(McEwan)
End of Mission
The Mission was burned down by the Apalachees in fear of the British getting ahold of it. It was abandoned on July 31, 1704 just two days before the British invaded.
Mission Present Day
The Mission present day has been reconstructed. It is a public historic site operated by the state of Florida, which offers exhibitions, interpretative programs, and real life mission buildings. “To this day descendants of the Apalachee Indians from Mission San Luis still live in Louisiana. They have maintained their tribal identity and are the only documented descendants of Florida’s once populous mission-era Indians.’’ (McEwan)