“S” is for San Miguel de Gualdape

“S” is for San Miguel de Gualdape. Founded in September 1526 by Lucas Vásquez de Allyón, San Miguel de Gualdape was the first Spanish town in the territory of the present-day United States. The town’s name likely came from it founding on or around September 29^th, the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel. Scholars place San Miguel at various sites along the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, but only archeological discovery will resolve this debate. Originally, the settlement consisted of some six hundred colonists (including women and children), Catholic priests, and enslaved Africans. Supplies were scarce and disease ravaged the colony. There was a mutiny and a revolt by the enslaved colonists. Of the expedition’s original 600 settlers, only 150 survived. By mid-November 1526, the Spaniards had abandoned San Miguel de Gualdape.