Three hundred Spaniards ashore near Tampa,permission from the King to settle down, build
the 16th century equivalent of high-rises
and golf courses you find there now. They
nosed around, getting snarky with the natives,
walked back out of the jungle to find an empty harbor instead of ship and supplies. Talk about
failed expectations! Breakdown in communication,
help was up the coast cursing scouts for hooking
up with comely female natives. Or had they been eaten by alligators, consumed by mosquitoes, what?
Up and down the coast for a year or pretty near,
they tired of Florida's scenery, hungry for
home. Three hundred Spaniards dwindled to a fraction
through sickness, payback from the Apalachees.
Maybe barges, sail to Mexico! Go for the gold! Gulf storm
decided otherwise. Three hundred began,
four survived by being slaves.
Not a stellar moment for the Age of Exploration,
but it's history. Can't change it because
the details are less than complimentary, but you
can learn. Most of us don't, but then again,
Madrid doesn't get our taxes.
(c) Ellen Gillette, 2012
Helping my grandson with his Thanksgiving break homework, I learned about the unfortunate Narvaez expedition in 1527.
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