But the expedition left behind a record of the Southeast that would become historically important.

It also left a legacy of violence.

Native communities had experienced forced labor, captivity, resource extraction, and military attacks.

The consequences of European diseases were devastating.

The encounter between Europe and the Indigenous Southeast had begun a process that would continue long after the Spanish army disappeared.

THE SITE AND THE MODERN SOUTHEAST

Today, southern Georgia is covered by roads, farms, forests, houses, and modern communities.

It can be difficult to imagine the landscape of 1540.