Los Adaes, Archaeological site and National Historic Landmark in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana.
Los Adaes is an archaeological site containing the remains of a Spanish fort and mission complex built during the 1700s near Natchitoches. The roughly 14-acre grounds display the layout of this frontier settlement with traces of fortified buildings and mission structures.
The settlement began in the early 1700s as a Spanish garrison on the edge of New Spain's territory. From 1729 to 1773, it served as the capital of Spanish Texas and functioned as the administrative and military center of that remote frontier.
The site became a meeting place where Spanish soldiers, French traders, and Adaes Native Americans encountered each other and conducted business. This intersection of different groups shaped daily interactions and created lasting connections between distant communities.
The site is open to visitors most days with no admission charge. Comfortable walking shoes are important since you explore the grounds on foot, and Louisiana's weather can be quite hot and humid.
The settlement was so isolated from the nearest Spanish supply sources that residents were forced to trade secretly with French settlers. This commerce was officially forbidden, yet it was the only way the community could obtain essential goods.
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