Archaeological Investigations at the 1559-1561 Tristán de Luna Settlement in Pensacola, Florida
Dr. John Worth, Professor of Anthropology at University of West Florida
Dr. Worth will provide an overview of archaeological work by the University of West Florida at the site of the terrestrial settlement of the Tristán de Luna expedition on Pensacola Bay since its identification in 2015. The 32-acre site housed some 1,500 Spaniards, Aztec Indians, Africans, and other colonists originating from present-day Mexico, and represents the earliest multi-year European settlement in the continental United States, and is also the largest 16th-century European colonial site in the continental United States. The presentation will provide both historical background and archaeological finds including a robust assemblage of mid-16th-century artifacts as well as subsurface features such as postholes and trashpits providing evidence for activity areas across the site.
One of the foremost experts on Spanish colonial history, he is the principal site investigator for the archaeological site of the Tristán de Luna settlement – the oldest established multi-year European settlement in the United States – that was discovered in a developed neighborhood in Pensacola in 2015. Dr. John Worth, professor of anthropology, teaches historical archaeology, historical research methods, Southeastern Indians, and field and laboratory methods in archaeology. LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. WORTH