Author Notes: In OTL for many years historians of Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon’s failed colony believed the original colony to be in Virginia not far from Jamestown on the York river. However recent investigation has placed the location of the colony along the Carolina coast, most promisingly along the Santee or Pee Dee river. The authors Douglas T Peck and Paul E Hoffman where I obtained most of the information for this TL from believed the location to be Winyah Bay in South Carolina. However, the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia all have historians claiming the location of the colony was in their states.
Part 1: Where it all began.
The lead up to the Spanish colonization of the Mid-Atlantic had in fact a long trail of persons who made it possible. First, by Ponce de Leon who in 1513 discovered La Florida and would later attempt a failed colony attempt in 1521. Second, by one Pedro de Salazar, a slave trader who traveled up along the coastline of the eastern seaboard of North America. The discoveries of de Leon and de Salazar sparked interest in one Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon.
Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon had arrived in the New World in 1501 having a background in the study of law and order he would go on to be a Spanish Judge and be very influential toward the management of several territories and economic enterprises in Hispaniola. He would even join Ponfilio de Narvaez in his expedition to apprehend Hernan Cortes. De Ayllon’s attempts to make himself the legal authority of the expedition would see de Narvaez put him back on a ship for Cuba prior to de Naravaez’s defeat by Cortes. Hungry for wealth and power he was regarded by many of his detractors as a tyrant and was known to have at least one mistress.
De Allyon dispatched one Francisco Gordillo to chart the eastern coast of North America, he was also joined by another navigator, Pedro de Quejo who worked for a rival of de Allyon’s in Hispaniola. Both men were slave traders who had been sailing in the Caribbean for several years.
With two caravels of 60 men they worked their way along the coastline, anchoring at one point in the Bahia Jordan on the Jordan river. There however they were met by hostile natives who attacked them before the Spanish navigators could abduct several to take back to Santo Domingo for training as “interpreters”. [1] Regardless, both waited several days then sailed back along the coast and grabbed 70 slaves (lest their venture yield no profit for themselves and their masters) returned to Santo Domingo and gave very favorable reports on what they had seen. Wild but good land and natives of good stature who could be well used as a source of slave labor.
De Ayllon was pleased with this news and immediately began the legal processes to claim the land for himself (dueling with Oritz de Urrutia, who de Quejo was employed for rights for establishing a colony). However, he was dissatisfied with the hostility of the natives and through shrewd bargaining gained the services of de Quejo and commissioned him to explore further up the coast. In November 1522 de Quejo arrived in what he would name “Bahia de Todos los Santos” as he arrived there close to All Saints Day which is celebrated on November 1st. There he met with the Chesepiooc tribe, Algonquin speaking natives who lived close to the mouth of the bay. They were peaceful and traded with de Quejo, who in particular took a liking to the tobacco from the West Indies that de Quejo had brought to trade with. De Quejo explored the bay for a month, naming several of the rivers in particular after several saints whose festivals were also in November. Rio San Juan [2], Rio San Leo [3], Rio San Martin [4], and Rio Santa Maria [5]. He also named the southern tip of the eastern shore of the bay the Cape of San Juan. The expedition would return to de Ayllon fortunately just days before he was to leave to
set monitor for Spain to take petition against Governor Diego Colon, the son of the explorer Cristobal Colon, which would eventually lead to Colon’s total ouster of power in the New World.
In the Court of Charles V who had settled into his new home following the Communeros revolts, de Ayllon found sponsorship and legal right to found his colony. He had decided instead to move his claim north to the Bay of All Saints that de Quejo had found. De Ayllon went after his petition with all the guile he could muster, which was a great deal, painting a very flattering picture of the land, likening it to Andalucia and saying that he being not a military man would surely not follow the example of Cortes’ rebellion. He did stumble in one or two instances. Such as mentioning some natives being very hostile while others being more complacent. Fortunately for de Ayllon the lure of the land was high in the court, he even had the support of the Emperor’s secretary. His claim granted, de Ayllon returned to Hispaniola to prepare for the expedition.
Perhaps very fortunately, de Ayllon’s own future fortunes would not be as smooth as he hoped they would be. At this point though the train of persons responsible for what would be colonization of the region had reached many. Ponce de Leon, Pedro de Salazar, Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, Oritz de Urrutia, Francisco Gordillo, Pedro de Quejo, and Emperor Charles V. There would be many more who would help the Spanish colony survive.
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[1] – In OTL they were treated well by the natives and traded with them for a month before returning to Santo Domingo.
[2] – James River
[3] – York River
[4] – Rappahannock River
[5] – Potomac River
