The Apalaches of 1528

Apalache games in the 1500s

Soon after landing his 300-man force near Tampa Bay, Narváez acquired a small golden rattle and a few other gold samples from the local natives. They surely had come from wrecked Spanish vessels, not from any natural source in the Southeast. Narváez preferred to think the gold had come from another rich kingdom, such as Teotihuacán of the Mexica, which his rival Hernán Cortés had conquered a few years earlier. The local natives around Tampa Bay, hoping to be rid of these brutal foreigners, had indicated there was plenty of that yellow metal to the north in the prosperous chiefdom of Apalache. After a grueling two-month march, the Spaniards reached Apalache to find a village of 40 structures and prosperous farms, but no more gold. Still, Narváez took their chief hostage

and occupied their village. Needless to say, the Apalaches took offense and attacked repeatedly. They proved to be brave and ferocious guerrilla fighters who were sometimes a match for even well-armed Spaniards with horses. During that month in the village, the Spaniards explored the surrounding countryside and found nothing more promising. What’s more, they were unable to subdue the Apalaches, who continued to harass and wound their men and horses. As the situation became untenable, the Spaniards’ best option was to head south to the coast and hope to reconnect with their ships. According to the natives, eight or nine days of travel would take them to the coastal village of Aute with more food supplies. But the trip would be hard and would lead to a fateful decision at the “Bay of Horses.”