Alvaro Mexia was a 17th-century
Spanish explorer and
cartographer of the east coast of
Florida. Mexia was stationed in
St Augustine and was given a diplomatic mission to the
native populations living south of St. Augustine and in the
Cape Canaveral area. This mission resulted in a "Period of Friendship" between the Spanish and the
Ais native population.
When
Pedro de Ibarra became the Spanish Governor of Florida, he knew the Spanish needed to improve relations with the natives, so he sent Mexia on a diplomatic mission in
1605 to gain knowledge of the lands and populations south of St. Augustine, as well as to assist that year's treasure fleet on its way back to Spain.
Mexia wrote about his experiences among the native
Ais in a document known as a Derrotero, a self-proclaimed "truthful account" and description of his journey in the land of the Ais.[1] Mexia also created a map[2] in color. His journey completed in 1605, his Derrotero and map were sent to the King of Spain in a letter from Pedro de Ibarra.
His letters and map show native towns and place names south of St. Augustine. These include:
Surruque In New Smyrna Beach. Mexia and his party arrived at Surruque on June 6, 1605, and remained in the area for eight days while he waited for orders to proceed to the Ais Indian Nation.
After leaving
Nocoroco Mexia writes about passing by a buhio,[4] a West Indian (Arawak) word for a native hut. It came to be applied to anything from the family dwelling to the large communal lodge which according to
Bishop Calderon, would accommodate 2000 to 3000 people.
Lagoon of Ulumay – the Banana River Lagoon north of the Lagoon of Sababoche
Through "Callejon" to Pentoaya (Indian Harbor Beach on the barrier island and Eau Gallie on the mainland[5]), a Distance of .5 leagues (1.5 mi)[6]
Traverse of the Grand Bay of Ais 5 leagues (15 mi)
Two small islands in the Indian River Lagoon (one of which was Grant Farm Island[7])
Then to a small fresh water river, now called the Sebastian River[7] 1 league (3.0 mi)
Then to the great Indian town of the Ais 1.5 leagues away (or about 4.5 to 5 miles), now called the Kroegel Homestead, but also called Barker's Bluff (8IR84)[7] prior to the mound being sold for road-fill in the early 1900s
Alvaro returned to St. Augustine and made his report to Ibarra on July 11, 1605, more than a month after
his departure. The mission was considered a success as on September 2, 1605, the elusive Capitan Grande (an Ais Chief) finally arrived in St. Augustine accompanied by his mandador (a sort of deputy chief), the chiefs of Surruque and Urbia[citation needed], and twenty Indians. Agreements were made that the Ais Indians would return shipwrecked sailors to the Spanish for a ransom.
References
^Rouse, Irving (1981). Survey of Indian River Archaeology. Yale University Publications in Anthropology 45.
ISBN978-0-404-15668-8.
Brech, Alan and J. F. Lanham. "The Location of the Paramount Town of the Ais Indians and the General Location of the Indians of Santa Lucia." The Florida Anthropologist, Sept. - Dec. 2010.
Lanham, J. F. and Alan Brech. "Summer Pentoaya: Locating a Prominent Ais Indian Town Along the Indian River Lagoon, Florida." The Florida Anthropologist, March 2007.
Library of Congress Archives: A copy of the Pedro de Ibarra letter referring Alvaro Mexia to the King of Spain is in v. 5, and Lowery's manuscript collections relating to Florida, 1603- 1607, archived in the Manuscript Division.
Catalogued as Simancas, La Florida: Descubrimientos, descripciones, y poblaciones de laFlorida. Patronato. Est I; Cat I Leg 1/19; No.29
Duplicate: Simancas, Seculares, Audencia de Santo Domingo: Cartas y expedientes de gobernadores de la Florida vistos en el Consejo desde 1568 a Est 54: Caj. 5 Leg 9.