Laboring in the Fields of the Lord: Spanish Missions and Southeastern Indians

Description

The missions of Spanish Florida are one of American history’s bestkept secrets. Between 1565 and 1763, more than 150 missions withnames like San Francisco and San Antonio dotted the landscape fromsouth Florida to the Chesapeake Bay. Drawing on archaeological andhistorical research, much conducted in the last 25 years, Milanichoffers a vivid description of these missions and the Apalachee, Guale, and Timucua Indians who lived and labored in them. First published in1999 by Smithsonian Institution Press, Laboring in the Fields of theLord contends the missions were an integral part of Spain’s La Floridacolony, turning a potentially hostile population into an essential laborforce. Indian workers grew, harvested, ground, and transported cornthat helped to feed the colony