Anhaica facts for kids
Anhaica (also known as Iviahica or Yniahico) was the main town of the Apalachee people. It was located in what is now Tallahassee, Florida. When the Spanish first arrived in Florida, Anhaica was the capital of the Apalachee area. Today, this important place is known as the Martin Archaeological Site. It was found again in 1988.
History of Anhaica
Around the year 1500, Anhaica became the most important town for the Apalachee people. This happened after they stopped using their old capital, the Lake Jackson Mounds Site.
It's interesting that Anhaica doesn't have large platform mounds like some other ancient sites. This might mean that the Apalachee people changed how they built their towns. Perhaps they didn't live in Anhaica long enough to build mounds. Or maybe they stopped building them altogether. Also, new diseases might have arrived with the Pánfilo de Narváez expedition in 1528. These diseases could have reduced the population. This might have caused people to move or change their building traditions.
When the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto arrived on October 6, 1539, Anhaica had about 250 buildings. De Soto and his men took over the town. They forced the Apalachee people to leave. De Soto stayed there for the winter and left in March 1540.
Later, around 1633, a group of Franciscan priests built a mission. It was called La Purificacion de Tama. This mission was built at the site of Anhaica.
Finding Anhaica Again
For many years, the exact location of Anhaica was a mystery. But in 1988, an archaeologist named B. Calvin Jones from Florida State University found it. He discovered the site on the land of the Gov. John W. Martin House in Tallahassee.
The site is now known as the Martin Archaeological Site. Its official number is 8LE853B. Archaeologists have found many interesting things there. These include Spanish coins from the early 1500s. They also found olive jars, pieces of chain mail, and crossbow arrows. Many experts believe this site is the best candidate for where de Soto's expedition spent the winter. Today, it is part of the DeSoto Site Historic State Park.
See also
In Spanish: Anhaica para niños
