Santa Catalina de Guale facts for kids

Santa Catalina de Guale was a Spanish mission and town. It existed from 1602 to 1702. Spanish priests, called Franciscans, built it in what was then Spanish Florida. Their main goal was to teach Native Americans about the Catholic religion. Santa Catalina was also a very important center for the Guale region. It helped provide food and workers for St. Augustine, the main Spanish city nearby. This mission moved several times. It was on St. Catherines Island (1602-1680), then Sapelo Island (1680-1684), and finally Amelia Island (1684-1702).

The Story of Santa Catalina de Guale

Starting the Mission in Georgia

The Santa Catalina de Guale mission began in 1602. It was built on St. Catherines Island. This island is one of the Sea Islands in what is now the state of Georgia. The mission was likely connected to a Guale Native American village. Today, we know that village as the "Wamassee Head" archaeological site.

Changes for the Guale People

During the 1600s, the Guale people faced big challenges. Many of them became sick from diseases that spread quickly. This caused their population to drop a lot. Because of this, several smaller mission villages had to join together. By 1675, the San Diego de Satuache village joined with Santa Catalina de Guale. Other villages, like Santa Clara de Tupiqui and San Joseph de Sapala, also merged.

Moving Due to Attacks

In 1680, the mission faced two major attacks. These attacks were from about 300 Westo Native Americans. English leaders in South Carolina gave the Westo weapons and encouraged them. Their goal was to capture people to sell as slaves. Santa Catalina de Guale was the first mission attacked. It had a new stone fort, six Spanish soldiers, and about 40 Christian Native Americans. But it still fell. Other missions in the area were also quickly attacked.

Because of these dangers, the Santa Catalina de Guale mission had to move south. It relocated to Sapelo Island.

Life on Sapelo Island

After moving to Sapelo Island, the four original villages joined into one. These were Tupiqui, Sapala, Satuache, and Santa Catalina. This meant the old system of different Guale village leaders changed. However, the families who used to be leaders still kept their important titles. So, many people at Santa Catalina de Guale had important titles but no longer led their own villages.

More Moves and New Dangers

In 1683, a French pirate named Michel de Grammont attacked Spanish settlements. He raided places like St. Augustine and other missions. This forced the missions to move even further south.

In 1684, the Santa Catalina de Guale mission moved again. This time, it went to Amelia Island in what is now Florida. More pirates appeared in 1684. This stopped other nearby missions from moving south. These missions were Santo Domingo de Asao and San Buenaventura de Guadalquini. Both were burned, and their people had to flee inland.

By 1685, the Guale people had two choices. They either moved inland to join other Native American groups, or they moved to Amelia Island. On Amelia Island, they settled in three places: Santa Catalina de Guale, San Felipe, and Santa Clara de Tupiqui.

The End of the Mission

In 1702, during a war called Queen Anne's War, the Governor of Carolina, James Moore, attacked Spanish Florida. During this attack, the settlements on Amelia Island were destroyed. This included Santa Catalina de Guale. The Guale people who survived and stayed with the Spanish moved close to St. Augustine.