The Spiritual Conquest of La Florida

Abstract

Spanish exploration and colonization of the New World has long been characterized as a quest for "Gold, Glory, and God." This article examines the last of these motives, the religious aspects of colonization, as revealed through seventeenth-century mortuary remains and documentary evidence from the Spanish territory known as La Florida. Data suggest that these missionized native populations underwent religious transformations that resulted in a unique expression of Christianity incorporating both European and native elements. Related data indicate that while religious conversion may have had a lasting impact, other native social and political institutions remained largely intact during the mission period. [missions, Native Americans, Spanish colonization, southeastern United States]