La Chua ranch facts for kids

The La Chua ranch was the biggest cattle ranch in Spanish Florida during the 1600s. Raising cattle became a very important part of Florida's economy back then. The La Chua ranch started in the mid-1600s. By the end of that century, it owned one-third of all the cattle in the colony! But raids by the English from the Province of Carolina and their Native American allies caused the ranch to be abandoned in the early 1700s.

The Menéndez Márquez Family

Francisco Menéndez Márquez was part of an important family in Spanish Florida. His family were criollos, meaning they were people born in the Americas to Spanish parents. Francisco and his family became the top cattle ranchers in Spanish Florida.

Francisco's great-uncle, Pedro Menéndez Márquez, was the nephew of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, who founded Spanish Florida. Pedro Menéndez Márquez even served as the third royal governor of Spanish Florida.

Francisco's father, Juan Menéndez Márquez, became the royal treasurer for Florida. This meant he was in charge of the colony's money. Francisco Menéndez Márquez later took over this important job from his father. He served as royal treasurer from 1628 to 1649.

Francisco started his cattle ranch in an area called Potano Province. He got permission from a Timucua chief named Lúcas Menéndez. This first ranch likely began around 1646 or 1647. By 1649, the ranch was worth 8,000 pesos and earned 700 pesos a year. Francisco used some of the royal money to help start his ranch. His family later repaid most of the money.

Where La Chua Ranch Was

The La Chua ranch was located in an area now known as Paynes Prairie. This is southeast of modern-day Gainesville. The main ranch house, called a hacienda, was found by archaeologists. It was on the northern edge of Paynes Prairie, looking over the Alachua Sink.

The ranch might have started in the late 1640s. However, it was first mentioned in records in 1675. The name "La Chua" didn't appear in official papers until 1682.

A Time of Growth

Cattle ranching grew very quickly in Spanish Florida during the late 1600s. Francisco's son, Tomás Menéndez Márquez, and his grandson, Francisco II, were very active. They started or bought many ranches between the St. Johns River and the Timucua missions. These missions were in what is now western Alachua County.

Tomás also made alliances with other ranching families. Several of his children married into these families. Like other ranches, the Menéndez Márquez ranches sent cattle to St. Augustine. Sometimes, cattle were also driven to Apalachee Province.

A port called San Martin was built on the Suwannee River in the early 1670s. From this port, Tomás shipped hides (animal skins), dried meat, and tallow (animal fat) to Havana. Tomás even owned a ship that traded between San Martin, Havana, and San Marcos in Apalachee Province.

Ranches and farms in Spanish Florida paid taxes. They gave two-and-a-half percent of their produce. For a cattle ranch, this meant giving two-and-a-half percent of the calves born each year to St. Augustine.

By the late 1600s, there were 34 permanent cattle ranches in Spanish Florida. In 1698 and 1699, these ranches paid 222 calves as tax. La Chua, being the largest, paid 77 calves. This was 35% of all the calves paid in tax that year! This means that about 8,880 calves were born in those two years across all ranches. About 3,080 of those calves were born at La Chua alone.

In 1763, a British official named James Robertson noted something interesting. He said that before Spanish missions were destroyed in the early 1700s, there were many cattle in Florida. He also mentioned that one Spaniard, likely Tomás Menéndez Márquez, owned 7,000 cattle!

Attacks on the Ranch

The La Chua ranch faced attacks. One happened during the Timucua Rebellion of 1656. Juan Menéndez Márquez, Francisco's oldest son, was managing the ranch then. Lúcas Menéndez, a Timucua chief, was one of the rebellion's leaders. He was also likely Francisco's godson.

Lúcas sent a letter to Juan in St. Augustine, warning him not to visit the ranch. But Juan couldn't read the Timucua language. So, he went to the ranch without knowing the danger. Lúcas ordered his people to kill all Spaniards, except for missionaries.

On the road, messengers found two workers from La Chua ranch and killed them. Lúcas then led a group to the La Chua hacienda. There, they killed a Spanish soldier who had traveled with Juan. They also killed two African slaves who belonged to the ranch. The Timucuas killed all the cattle they could find and burned the hacienda. However, Lúcas protected Juan. It seems he did this because Juan's father, Francisco, had been kind to him. Lúcas sent Juan safely back to St. Augustine with an escort.

The ranch's success also attracted pirates. French pirates based on Anclote Key raided up the Suwannee River in 1682. They reached the La Chua hacienda at 2:00 AM. They captured Tomás, his son-in-law Juan de Hita, and four servants. The pirates demanded 150 cattle and money as ransom. But three Timucua chiefs ambushed the pirates. They freed Tomás and Juan de Hita before any ransom was paid. In 1684, pirates attacked La Chua again, this time by way of the Amajuro River, which was probably the Withlacoochee River.

The Ranch's Decline

Over time, ranching became less profitable. A beef steer was worth 21 pesos in 1651, but only six pesos by 1689. The value of a horse dropped from 100 pesos in 1651 to 25 pesos in 1682. A pair of oxen used for pulling things was worth 80 pesos in 1651, but only 25 pesos in 1682.

Starting in the 1680s, the English from the Province of Carolina and their Native American allies began raiding Florida. Runaway slaves and Native Americans who didn't live in missions also stole cattle for food.

By the early 1700s, attacks from pirates, rustlers (cattle thieves), and the English and their allies had severely hurt ranching in Spanish Florida. The Spanish lost control of the Apalachee and Guale areas because of English-backed raids.

A blockhouse (a small fort) was built at La Chua. Soldiers were stationed there to help with ranch work and protect it from raiders. But the constant raids forced the defenders to burn the blockhouse in 1706. They then retreated to St. Augustine. The La Chua ranch was abandoned.