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 (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Burke County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. ... State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ... Morganton is a city located in Burke County, North Carolina. ... 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. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is the eleventh-oldest institution of higher educationin the United States. ...

Settlement

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. It was established near several creeks and within sight of Table Rock, a dominate geographical feature of the area. 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

On December 1, 1566, Captain Juan Pardo and 125 men departed from Santa Elena, La Florida (located on present day Parris Island, South Carolina) under orders from Governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to claim the interior for Spain, pacify native inhabitants, 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) and Yssa (near present day Denver, 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. ... 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... State nickname: Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... Parris Island is a census-designated place located in Beaufort County, South Carolina. ... Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles Pedro Menendez de Aviles (born 1519 in Avilés, Spain, dead in Santander on September 17, 1574), was the first Spanish governor of Florida. ... Zacatecas is one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico. ... For other places or people named Charlotte, see Charlotte (disambiguation). ... Denver is an unincorporated community located in Lincoln County in the U.S. 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. January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Events The Duke of Alva arrives in the Netherlands with Spanish forces to suppress unrest there. ... Cuenca arch Cuenca is a city (2003 pop. ... A map of the Roanoke area, by John White Roanoke Island is an island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. ...

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. Hickory is a city located in Catawba County, North Carolina. ... Catawba County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events The Duke of Alva arrives in the Netherlands with Spanish forces to suppress unrest there. ... Rowan County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. ...

When Captain Pardo received word of a possible French invasion of Santa Elena, he left 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. He returned to Fort San Juan that autumn and found the local inhabitants were angered by the Spanish demands for food and canoes as well as the effect of newly introduced diseases. Instead of continuing his mission to Mexico, Captain Pardo left another garrison at Fort San Juan and returned to Santa Elena.

In May 1568, news reached Santa Elena that the native population had burned Fort San Juan and killed all of the soldiers of the garrison. Captain Pardo never returned to the area and Spain ended all attempts to colonize the southeastern interior. This article is about the month of May. ... Events March 23 - Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. ...

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 were abandoned. The Catawba (also known as Issa or Esaw) are a tribe of Native Americans that traditionally lived in the Southeast United States, along the border between North and South Carolina. ... Alternate meanings: Cherokee (disambiguation) The Cherokee are a people native to North America who first inhabited what is now the eastern and southeastern United States before most were forcefully moved to the Ozark Plateau. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... A Moravian is a Protestant belonging to a religious movement that originated in Moravia, Czech Republic. ... Ulster-Scots is a term mainly used in Ireland and Britain (Scotch-Irish or Scots-Irishis commonly used in North America) primarily to refer to Presbyterian Scots, or their descendents, who migrated from the Scottish Lowlands to Ulster (the northern province of Ireland), largely across the 17th century. ...

References

• 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; 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.