Later Settlements: Santa Maria de Galve, Santa Rosa, and Pensacola
Santa Maria de Galve
French interest in the northern Gulf of Mexico spurred Spain to establish an outpost in the area. In 1698, Spaniards founded the presidio of Santa María de Galve, which was part military outpost, part penal colony, and part civilian settlement. Residents included soldiers and convict laborers. Many soldiers and workers were mestizos (people with mixed Spanish and Indigenous heritage) from Mexico. Military officers, government officials, a few enslaved Black and Indigenous workers from outside the area, and a small number of civilians also lived in the town.
A Harsh Outpost
The presidio was known for its rough conditions. Sickness and disease caused by poor nutrition were ever-present. Indigenous allies of the British continually harassed the town, and hurricanes and fires were frequent. Many soldiers and convicts deserted. House gardens did produce some food, but the sandy soil made food production difficult. A few farms operated on the nearby Perdido River.
Map of Bahía Santa María de Galve, 1698
The Native Floridians who lived in the area reportedly called the bay “Panzacola,” but Spaniards named it “Bahía Santa María de Galve.” By the time that Spaniards settled there, most local Indigenous people already had left the bay area.
Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida
Site of Presidio Santa María de Galve
Courtesy of the University of West Florida Archaeology Institute
The presidio was located on the site of today’s Pensacola Naval Air Station. It contained a fort and a nearby village. Due to attacks from Indigenous Floridians, from 1707 to 1715 the village was abandoned, and people lived inside the fort.
Trade with the French
The situado failed to arrive at Santa María de Galve on a regular basis, and trade with the French at nearby Mobile became vital to the presidio’s survival. Spaniards also aided Mobile, and a busy trade arose between Mexico, Santa María de Galve, and Mobile. However, relations between France and Spain soon deteriorated. In 1719, during the War of the Quadruple Alliance (Britain, France, Provinces of Holland, Austria), France captured the presidio, and residents evacuated the town. It was returned to Spain at the end of the war in 1722.
When Spaniards returned to the area, they settled on Santa Rosa Island and built Presidio Isla de Santa Rosa. In November 1752, a hurricane devastated the town. The Spaniards moved to the mainland and established Presidio San Miguel de Panzacola, the site of present-day Pensacola.
Presidio Isla de Santa Rosa
The settlement at Santa Rosa Island, 1743 (published in 1763), by Dominic Serres
Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida
Back Home Next
