While the mission system strategy of colonizing Spanish Florida sounded like a good idea at the time, it backfired.
The Spanish mission system failed in part from decimation of the Native population due to disease and forced labor. Also, there were increased British attacks on the unsuspecting missions, primarily for the purpose of taking captives for the Indian slave trade.
Archaeologists have seen the results of huge Indian population losses in the consistent presence of hundreds of Indian graves under the floor of mission churches. Church records also report significant population declines.
In addition, historians have found documents recording many British attacks on Spanish missions, with the capture of over 10,000 mission Indians to sell as slaves for their Caribbean sugar plantations.
The missions were successful at first, but in 1704,the Spanish abandoned the strategy, leaving the Native population decimated and Spanish Florida worse than ever.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is executive producer.
