BIO

Hi! My name is Taylor Montchal and I am from Seminole, Florida. I am a 2nd year student here at FSU studying Psychology, and I hope to go on to medical school after undergrad!

Developing a Museum Exhibit: The Spanish Missions of Florida

Abstract

The sidewalks thousands of our feet walk across and the many different classroom buildings connected by them are now built upon land that used to tell a very different story. Where students now come to learn, was once a vast land full of Native American tribes that stretched throughout the country where the Spanish came to learn about the "New World". With obvious special interest towards Florida, research on the Spanish missions was initiated with the purpose of answering this question: what story can be formed about the Spanish missions? In the Anthropology Department here on campus, there are exhibits depicting various topics in the field of anthropology. My duties were to gather research on the Spanish missions in Florida in order to create an exhibit that encompasses what is known about this part of history.
Through tactics such as reviewing papers, looking at Florida State's collection of archives, and visiting Tallahassee's local museums I was able to paint a picture of the Spanish interactions with the Natives. What I found includes both the blending of cultures—and the strong rejection of the European ways of life on the deeply embedded roots of the Natives living here.

Keywords: Spanish Missions of Florida