A forgotten part of Florida’s history is our plantations. Large agricultural farms using human labor or machines were a major part of Florida’s economy from the earliest colonial days through the 19th century.
While much of Florida’s soil is not suitable for intensive agriculture, there is rich agricultural land in north and east Florida. The earliest plantations were Spanish Catholic missions that concentrated converted Native American farming groups. Priests, chiefs, and the Spanish increased production of crops, especially corn, to support the missions and the town of St. Augustine. The Natives were not enslaved but were required to be obedient to the mission priests and their chiefs.
A good example of an agricultural mission plantation was Mission San Luis in Tallahassee, which operated between 1656 and 1704. There, converted Natives, primarily Apalachee, grew and processed thousands of pounds of corn each year. Forensic archaeologists found evidence of malnutrition (too much corn is unhealthy) and overwork in the remains of the Native workers, causing their population to collapse and, ultimately, the failure of the mission system.
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 the executive producer.
