Orden De Su Exa. Para Que D. Carlos De Siguenza Y Gongora Fuese A Registrar La Bahía Y Puerto De Pansacola En El Seno Mexico Y La Relacion Que De El Haze

Resumen del Libro

A copy by Carlos Sigüenza y Góngora of his report of May 15, 1693 on his survey of the bay and harbor of Pensacola, Florida, with notes on the surrounding areas. On Jan. 12, 1693, the viceroy, the conde de Galve, in compliance with the kings order of June 26, 1692, names Sigüenza y Góngora to accompany the expedition led by Admiral Andrés de Pez aboard the frigate Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe to reconnoiter and map the Pensacola area, Mobile Bay, and the Palizada River on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. They sail from San Juan de Ulúa on March 26 and reach Pensacola on April 7. Sigüenza measures the width and circumference of the bay, takes soundings, maps the rivers that flow into the bay, and records the channels, islands, inlets, and promontories of the region. In addition, he describes the dress, food, and utensils of the Indians whose camps they discover when they go ashore. Included are his descriptions of the flora and fauna of the area, and the timber and stone available locally which could be used for building. Sigüenza also indicates which sites would be most suitable for establishing settlements, and where fortifications should be built to protect the entrance to the bay. Sigüenzas map of the bay is not included with his report, which is signed on board the Guadalupe anchored in San Juan de Ulúa harbor on May 15, 1693.