Location of Joara in present day Burke County, North Carolina

Joara was a large Native American settlement located in what is now Burke County, North Carolina. The location of the archaeological site is northwest of Morganton on Henderson Mill Road and portions have been excavated by the Upper Catawba Valley Archaeology Project, consisting of archaeologists from Warren Wilson College, Southern Illinois University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Burke County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... Coordinates: County Burke County Founded 1777 Incorporated 1784 Government  - Mayor Mel L. Cohen Area  - City 47 km²  (19. ... Archaeology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... Warren Wilson College is a small liberal arts college located just a few miles east of downtown Asheville near Black Mountain Highway. ... Southern Illinois University is a university in southern Illinois with two institutions and multiple campuses. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public, coeducational, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. ...

Settlement

Joara is thought to have been settled sometime after AD 1000. It was established on the west bank of Upper Creek and within sight of Table Rock, a dominant geographical feature of the area. The Joara natives comprised the northeastern extent of Mississipian Mound Builder cultural identity. By the time of the first European contact with the Native Americans in the foothills of the southern Appalachians, Joara had already grown to be the largest native settlement in present day North Carolina. The town served as the political center of a chiefdom that controlled many of the surrounding native settlements. The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 900 to 1500 CE, varying regionally. ... The Mound Builders were Archaic and Woodland Pre-Columbian Native American cultures. ... This article is about the continent. ... The Appalachian Mountains are a system of North American mountains running from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada to Alabama in the United States, although the northernmost mainland portion ends at the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec. ...

Spanish exploration

Hernando de Soto

In 1540, Hernando de Soto led a Spanish expedition up the eastern edge of the Appalachian mountains through present day Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. This expedition recorded the first documented European contact with the people of Joara, and soon departed to continue their exploration of la Florida's interior. It would be another 26 years before the Spanish would begin their attempts to enforce their claim over the land and its native inhabitants. Hernando de Soto. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32°430N to 35°12N...

Captain Juan Pardo's first expedition

On December 1, 1566, Captain Juan Pardo and 125 men departed from Santa Elena, La Florida (located on present day Parris Island, Beaufort County, South Carolina) under orders from Governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to claim the interior for Spain, pacify native inhabitants, convert native inhabitants to Catholicism, and establish a route to Spanish silver mines near Zacatecas, Mexico. In order to stay close to food sources, the Spanish traveled northwest to live off of the native inhabitants' food supplies. The small Spanish force stopped at Otari (near present day Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina) and Yssa (near present day Denver, Lincoln County, North Carolina) before arriving at Joara. December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 7 - Pius V becomes Pope Selim II succeeds Suleiman I as Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Religious rioting in the Netherlands signifies the beginning of the Eighty Years War in the Netherlands. ... Joara was a large Native American settlement located in what is now Burke County, North Carolina. ... Santa Elena, the Spanish-language name of Saint Helen, is often used as a toponym in parts of the world where that tongue is or was spoken: Santa Elena, Argentina Santa Elena, Belize Santa Elena, La Paz department, Honduras Santa Elena, El Petén department, Guatemala Santa Elena, Campeche, Mexico... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Parris Island is a census-designated place located in Beaufort County, South Carolina. ... Beaufort County is a county located in the state of South Carolina. ... Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the founder of Saint Augustine, Florida Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (February 15, 1519 - September 17, 1574), was a sixteenth century Spanish admiral and pirate hunter, known most notably for his founding of St. ... As a Christian ecclesiastical term, Catholic - from the Greek adjective , meaning general or universal[1] - is described in the Oxford English Dictionary as follows: ~Church, (originally) whole body of Christians; ~, belonging to or in accord with (a) this, (b) the church before separation into Greek or Eastern and Latin or... Zacatecas is one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico. ... Nickname: Location in Mecklenburg County in the state of North Carolina Coordinates: Country United States State North Carolina Counties Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Government  - Mayor Pat McCrory, (R) Area  - City  280. ... Mecklenburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. ... Denver is an unincorporated community located in Lincoln County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. ... Lincoln County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. ...

Captain Pardo and his men arrived at Joara in January 1567 and renamed it Cuenca after his hometown Cuenca, Spain. Snow in the Appalachian mountains forced the Spanish to establish a winter base in the foothills at Joara. The explorers built a wooden fort at the north end of Joara and named it Fort San Juan. The fort became the first European settlement of present day North Carolina, predating the establishment of the first English colony at Roanoke Island by 18 years. Location of Cuenca in Spain Looking through an arch in old Cuenca Cuenca is a city (2004 pop. ... Roanoke Island is an island in Dare County near the coast of North Carolina, United States. ...

The Spanish based in Fort San Juan and continued on to claim sovereignty over several other settlements in the region including Guaquiri (near present day Hickory, Catawba County, North Carolina) and Quinahaqui (in present day Catawba County, North Carolina). In February 1567, Captain Pardo established Fort Santiago at Guatari, a smaller town of Guatari natives located in present day Rowan County, North Carolina. Nickname: HKY, 828, Hicktown, Furniture Capitol of the World Location in the U.S. state of North Carolina Coordinates: Country United States State North Carolina County Catawba County, North Carolina  - Mayor G. Rudy Wright, Jr. ... Catawba County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. ... Rowan County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. ...

When Captain Pardo received word of a possible French invasion of Santa Elena, he left either 20 or 30 of his soldiers to occupy Joara, 4 soldiers and his chaplain Father Sebastian Montero to occupy Guatari and departed with the remainder of his force. Pardo appointed sergeant Hernando Moyano to command the force stationed at Fort San Juan.

Hernando Moyano's raids

During the spring of 1567, Hernando Moyano led a combined force of natives and Spanish north. The force attacked and burned the Chiska tribe's village of Maniateque (near present day Saltville, Virginia) before returning to Joara. Saltville is a town in Virginia, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ...

After resting and supplying his force, Moyano led his force to Guapere (thought to be on the upper Watauga River in present day Tennessee). The Spanish and native force attacked and burned Guapere and marched west to Chiaha (also in present day Tennessee). Moyano's force built a fort in Chiaha and waited for Captain Juan Pardo to return. The Watauga River rises in Watauga County, North Carolina, a mountainous county in western North Carolina along the Tennessee state line. ...

Captain Juan Pardo's second expedition

Captain Juan Pardo returned to Fort San Juan in September of 1567 to find the local inhabitants angered by the Spanish raids and demands for food, women, and canoes. The effect of newly introduced diseases was also destabilizing the community, causing resentment towards the Spanish. Instead of continuing his mission to Mexico, Captain Pardo left a garrison at Fort San Juan and marched the remainder of his troops westward to resupply Sgt. Hernando Moyano's troops.

Pardo first marched his troops to the native village of Tocae (near present day Asheville, North Carolina), then continued to Cauchi (near present day Canton, North Carolina. The force continued on to Tanasqui and then to Chiaha where they found Hernando Moyano's troops in need of supply. After resupplying Moyano's troops, Pardo returned to Santa Elena. Asheville City Hall. ... Canton is a town located in Haywood County, North Carolina. ...

Native uprising

Shortly after May 1568, news reached Santa Elena that the native population had burned all of the Spanish forts established by Juan Pardo's men and had killed all of the Spanish stationed in those garrisons. Captain Pardo never returned to the area and Spain ended all attempts to conquer and colonize the southeastern interior.

Demise and abandonment

At the time of the first Spanish contact, the native people of the area were identified by their villages of residence and were not part of large tribes. Death from European diseases and conquest and assimilation by large tribes such as the Catawba and Cherokee caused many of these smaller native groups to disappear. By the time the English, Moravian, Scotch Irish, and German settlers arrived in the area, Joara and many of the other towns in the region had been abandoned. Pre-contact distribution of the Catawba The Catawba (also known as Issa or Esaw) are a tribe of Native Americans, once considered one of the most powerful eastern Siouan tribes, that traditionally lived in the Southeast United States, along the border between North and South Carolina. ... For other uses, see Cherokee (disambiguation). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... The Moravian Seal, as rendered by North Carolina artist Marie Nifong The Moravian churches form a modern, mainline Protestant denomination with a religious heritage that began in 15th-century Bohemia, Czech Republic. ... Scots-Irish (formerly Scotch-Irish) is a term used to describe inhabitants of the USA and Canada of Scots-Irish (particularly Ulster-Scots) descent, who formed distinctive communities and had distinctive social characteristics. ...

Although the location of Joara and Fort San Juan were forgotten over the next few hundred years, local inhabitants knew that large numbers of native artifacts could be found in certain areas of the upper Catawba river valley. Farmers bulldozed Joara's twelve foot high earthen platform mound during the early 1960s to make way for farmland. The location of the mound is now recognizeable as a two foot rise in the field.

Rediscovery at the Berry Site

During the 1960s and 1970s, several archaeological surveys were conducted to determine possible locations of Joara and Fort San Juan. By the 1980s, archaeologists had narrowed down the number of possible locations and began limited excavations. These surveys and excavations showed that the upper Catawba river valley did indeed have a sizeable native population during the 14th to 16th centuries.

In 1986, a breakthrough occurred at the Berry excavation site when archaeologists discovered 16th century Spanish artifacts. This evidence, supported by historical documents, suggests that the Berry site is indeed the location of Joara and Fort San Juan. Further excavations at the Berry site throughout the 1990s and early 2000s has yielded more Spanish artifacts, including olive jar fragments, a spike and a knife.

References

• Beck, Rob; Ketron, Caroline. "Fall of Fort San Juan". Warren Wilson Archaeological Field School. Retrieved Aug. 2, 2005.

• Boykin, Brianne E. (Jul. 11, 2005). "Archaeologists Explore Pit At Berry Site". The News Herald. Retrieved Jul. 11, 2005.

• City of Morganton (Jul. 6, 2005). "Morganton's History". Retrieved Jul. 7, 2005; Jul. 15, 2005.

• Clabby, Catherine (Aug. 1, 2004). "Dig finds evidence of Spanish fort". The News and Observer. Retrieved Jul. 7, 2005.

• Clark, Larry (Jul. 16, 2004). "Archaeologists uncover 437 year old Spanish fort in Burke County". The Upper Catawba Archaeology Project. Retrieved Jul. 7, 2005.

• Moore, David G.; Beck, Robin A. Jr.; & Rodning, Christopher B. (March 2004). "Joara and Fort San Juan: culture contact at the edge of the world". Antiquity (Vol 78 No 299). Retrieved Aug. 2, 2005.

• Moore, David; Beck, Robin; & Rodning, Christopher (Jun. 30, 2004). "In Search of Fort San Juan: Sixteenth Century Spanish and Native Interaction in the North Carolina Piedmont". Warren Wilson Archaeological Field School. Retrieved Jul. 7, 2005.

• Simmons, Geitner (Aug. 15, 1999). "Insight". The Salisbury Post. Retrieved Jul. 7, 2005.

• Simmons, Geitner (Aug. 29, 1999). "Spanish empire failed to conquer Southeast". The Salisbury Post. Retrieved Jul. 7, 2005.

• Warren Wilson College. "The Berry Site and Upper Catawba Valley Archaeology". Retrieved Apr. 5, 2006.