Africans in Colonial Virginia
''It was in June, 1526, that de Ayllon set sail, with three small vessels, from Puerto de la Plata, Santo Domingo. Accompanying him were six hundred men, women and children, with sufficient supplies and 150 horses. As special companions and advisors of de Ayllon. there sailed Father Antonio de 'Montesinos (who had become celebrated in Spain, and was persona non grata to the Santo Domingo authorities, on account of his "indomitable warfare against the traffic in slaves." `'With him were Father Antonio de Cervantes and Brother Peter de Estrada, all being of the order of St. Dominic.
De Ayllon entered the Chesapeake Bay, which he named Madre de las Aguas ('Mother of Waters), and ascending the Guandape (James River) landed at a place he called St. -Michael. (San Miguel).
Ecija, the Spanish pilot, who entered the Chesapeake, in 1609, in search of information regarding the English, settlement, reported to his government that the colony was located on the exact spot chosen by- de Ayllon for settlement.
de Ay-llon and his followers constructed rude puts, a chapel AN-as erected and temporary defenses planned.
His settlement at St. Michael2 was the second colony attempted on the maintaind d of North America, the first having been located by Police de Leon, at Charlotte Harbor, Florida, in 1521.
Little is known of the trials and vicissitudes of the little settlement, other than that de Ayllon died of fever within four months after landing and the colonists passed through a severe winter exposed to both disease, hostile Indians and insurection of negro slaves which decimated their ranks and left the survivors almost hopeless of rescue. Within one rear after the colony was established, Francis Gomez, who had succeeded to the command, embarked the survivors upon two ships, one having sunk, and sailed for Santo Domingo. En route one of the ships founded, with all on board, and only- one hundred and fifty of the six hundred ever reached home again. Among those who returned was Father Montesinos. Thus ended, in disaster, the first Spanish settlement in Virginia, called by them Nueva Espana (New Spain).''
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