Editing Rowan County, North Carolina (section)

===16th century===
The first Europeans to enter what is now Rowan County were members of the Spanish expedition of [[Juan Pardo (explorer)|Juan Pardo]] in 1567. They established a fort and a mission in the native village of Guatari, believed to be located near the [[Yadkin River]] and inhabited by the [[Wateree people|Wateree]]. At the time, the area was ruled by a female chief whom the Spaniards called ''Guatari Mico'' (Mico was a term common among the Muskogee and Souian speaking peoples of the south to mean "chief" or "leader"). The Spaniards called the village Salamanca in honor of the city of [[Salamanca]] in western Spain, and established a mission, headed by a [[Secular clergy|secular priest]] named [[Sebastián Montero]].

This fort was one of six that Pardo's expedition established before he returned separately to Spain in 1568. Small garrisons were stationed at each fort.<ref>{{Cite web |last = Simmons |first = Geitner |title = An unknown South: Pardo story helps Rowan learn about itself |publisher = [[Salisbury Post]] |date = August 29, 1999 |url = http://www.salisburypost.com/august/082999e.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061103032146/http://www.salisburypost.com/august/082999e.htm |archive-date=November 3, 2006| access-date = January 11, 2013}}</ref> They were built into the interior, including across the mountains in what is now southeastern Tennessee. In 1568, Native Americans at each fort massacred all but one soldier in the garrisons. The Spanish never returned to this interior area in other colonizing attempts, instead concentrating their efforts in [[Spanish Florida]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Today in Asheville history: Explorer arrives|url=http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2015/12/01/today-asheville-history-explorer-arrives/76598266/|journal=Citizen Times|date = December 1, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last = Simmons |first = Geitner |title = Understanding the "original Southerners" |publisher = [[Salisbury Post]] |date = August 22, 1999 |url = http://www.salisburypost.com/august/082299f.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061103031011/http://www.salisburypost.com/august/082299f.htm |archive-date=November 3, 2006| access-date = January 11, 2013}}</ref>