Thanksgiving has been a celebrated tradition in the United States since 1623; 400 years ago from this year. In Plymouth, Massachusetts, a feast was held between the British colonists and Native Americans of the region, continuing the harvest festival held two years prior in 1621. It celebrated what either side is thankful for and the unity between the two groups of people; this “friendship” would last them another 200 years at least. 140 years after the first Thanksgiving was held, President Abraham Lincoln took attention away from the active civil war to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday; the fourth Thursday of November. It’s a neat story, wrapped up in a little bow to be neatly distributed to our children. 

The problem is that, like most neat American stories, it’s not entirely accurate.

Here in Florida, a similar feast occurred 56 years prior to the Pilgrims Thanksgiving in St. Augustine. Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez took 800 men to meet with Native Americans in a large feast to express cultural unity and give thanks for what they had. Similar feast, similar goals, similar message: many historians argue this was the first Thanksgiving.

Unlike the pilgrims, who feasted on Turkey, fruits, vegetables, fish and shellfish, potatoes, and pumpkin pie; fresh food harvested on American soil,, the Spaniards made do with what provisions survived the journey. Hard biscuits, garbanzo bean stew, red wine; that was all they had.

The pilgrims at Plymouth feasted with the Wampanoag tribe, characterized by fishing and agricultural practices. Their civilization was over 10,000 years old at the time. The Floridians, on the other hand, dined with the Timucua. The Timucua were better characterized as hunters and gatherers, being newer to the continent by about 6000 years and less developed than their neighbors in New England.