Archaeologist Says Clarke County Site May Be Lost De Soto Battleground

MobilePress-Register ^ | 5-24-2007 | Connie Baggett

[blam]

Archaeologist says Clarke County site may be lost De Soto battleground

Thursday, May 24, 2007
By CONNIE BAGGETT
Staff Reporter

A Mobile archaeologist said this week that he believes he has found a site in southern Clarke County that could be the Indian stronghold Mauvilla, where Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto fought a bloody battle in the mid-1500s.

If he is correct, he has solved a mystery that for decades left others with false leads and dashed hopes.

Andrew Holmes, who works as a archaeological field technician for Barry Vittor and Associates conducting environmental assessments at construction projects, said he used a mathematical equation, global positioning satellite technology and various sources to pinpoint his Mauvilla.

He said that artifacts and other evidence indicate that he is correct, but he acknowledged that it will take a lot of excavating to prove it.

"The site is in Clarke County in the forks of the Alabama and Tombigbee," Holmes said, "right where all the documentation says it is. All the records we have said it's there, right where I found it."

Historians and archaeologists have long debated De Soto's route and the location of Mauvilla, also known as Mauvila, Maubila and Mabila. Some have even questioned whether such a place existed.

De Soto, appointed governor of Cuba and charged with settling North America for Spain, looted village after village and spread disease across what is now the Southeastern United States as he and about 650 soldiers plundered, looking for gold. As was his pattern, De Soto kidnapped Chief Tascaluza who, according to various accounts from the time, led the Spaniards into a trap at Mauvilla.

Warriors ambushed De Soto and took much of the advance guard's supplies. Soldiers battled with Indians for a day at Mauvilla, leaving more than 3,000 warriors dead.

[blam]

Many believe the word Mauvilla is the original source of the city name for Mobile, Alabama.

[blam]

GGG Ping.

A little archeo in my backyard.

[muawiyah]

http://www.floridahistory.com/indiana.html

Start here and it will take you everywhere to every state any archaeologist has ever shown probably had De Soto and his guys.

I pick Indiana for quite obvious reasons ~ the Indians kept pointing to where he could find gold. This is where he came pretty close ~ maybe 25 miles ~ but he turned toward Paoli rather than Nashville and lost all of it.

[DUMBGRUNT]

looted village after village and spread disease across what is now the Southeastern United States

About 300 years before a modern view of "germs"? If we don't know where he went, how do we know what he did with his germs?

[Jacquerie]

. . . spread disease across what is now the Southeastern United States . . .

More of the usual anti-western, leftist claptrap designed to weaken our national pride. The indians of the New World were going to be conquered. The only question was which nation would do it. I'm grateful the US ended up on top, and the world is a better place for it.

[colorado tanker]

Chief Tascaluza

Tuscaloosa?

[muawiyah]

You have to remember, much of the material written about DeSoto is little more than a recasting of British anti-Spaniard propaganda.

DeSoto didn't know he was spreading germs nor did the Indians.

[knarf]

[mtbopfuyn]

Interesting, thanks.

[Rodney King]

I find this to be a very bizarre article:

"The site is in Clarke County in the forks of the Alabama and Tombigbee," Holmes said, "right where all the documentation says it is. All the records we have said it's there, right where I found it."

If the documentation said it was right at the fork in the river, what did you need the "mathematical equations for"? How about the GPS? What good would a GPS be?

Also, if it was right at the fork in the river, where the documentation said it was, then, did you really find it?

Also, what are the chances that the river lie in the same path that they did 400 year ago?

[Rodney King]

About 300 years before a modern view of "germs"?

Hmm, maybe we should edit the wikipedia "Germ theory of disease" page to reflect this. :)

[Popman]

He said that artifacts and other evidence indicate that he is correct, but he acknowledged that it will take a lot of excavating to prove it.

Here's something that will never pass Al Gores lips concerning Global Warming

[Vietnam Vet From New Mexico]

Not true. Al has been excavating his anal region and has found most of his evidence there.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam. Could have sworn we'd had a topic about this, maybe two years ago, didn't find it.

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[SunkenCiv]

Discovery Of Ancient Indian Village Halts School Construction
WREG | 4/24/05 | Brian Kuebler
Posted on 04/26/2005 3:17:29 AM EDT by nickcarraway
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1391134/posts

[SunkenCiv]

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