Santa Elena Mission Archaeological Site

casafrt2Located on Parris Island, South Carolina, Santa Elena, the capital of Spanish La Florida, represents the earliest European occupation of South Carolina and one of the earliest European settlements of North America north of Mexico. St. Augustine, Florida, a military outpost, was begun a year earlier than Santa Elena.

It was here that both the French and Spanish would first encounter the indigenous natives of North America. Their records give us some of the earliest descriptions of the lifeways and culture of the Southeastern Indians.

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Santa Elena

Gary C. Daniels

Gary C. Daniels is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated television, video and multimedia writer and producer. He has a M.A. degree in Communications from Georgia State University in Atlanta, a B.F.A. degree in TV Production from the Savannah College of Art and Design and an A.A. degree in Art from the College of Coastal Georgia. He has appeared on the Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, Science Channel and History Channel. His History Channel appearance became the highest-rated episode in the network's history. He has a passion for Native American history and art. He is the founder and publisher of LostWorlds.org.