The Apalachee occupied the site of Velda Mound starting about 1450 CE. They had left the area before the Spanish came in the 17th century. They first saw Spanish explorers in the 16th century. This is when the Hernando de Soto expedition arrived. They lived between the Aucilla River and Ochlockonee River, at the head of Apalachee Bay. This was an area known to Europeans as the Apalachee Province. 