What is Marracou / Marracou ( Morocco in the West )
- Ishmael Bey
- Sep 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 26
When we open the oldest European maps of the Southeast, we see familiar names—Florida, Carolina, Havana. But tucked along the northern Florida coast, a strange word appears again and again: Marracou.
Who—or what—was Marracou? And why has this Indigenous name vanished from modern memory?
Marracou appears in early maps and colonial documents as the name of a province / area inhabited by a Native group, in the coastal Southeast (modern-Georgia / northern Florida region). Access Genealogy+1
In particular, in De Laudonnière’s memoirs (French explorer in the 1560s) Marracou is mentioned among indigenous provinces in the region southward from the May River. Access Genealogy
The sources say Marracou was located about 40 leagues (~100 miles) to the south of the May River. The “May River” is an old name sometimes associated with rivers in the coastal Carolina / Georgia area. Access Genealogy
Given that, Marracou would likely have been in what is now northern Florida or southern Georgia. But the exact boundaries are vague in the sources.
Who lived in Marracou / what people it corresponds to
It was an indigenous province (tribe or collection of tribes) the French explorers placed it among other provinces they were learning about. Access Genealogy
There’s some possibility that Marracou corresponds to what later was known more generally (by Europeans) as part of the “Mocama” / “Timucua” interior / coastal system of peoples, but the records don’t make that certain.
Why the name appears on early maps
European mapmakers of the 16th-17th centuries attempted to mark provinces and tribal lands based largely on explorers’ memoirs, sometimes translating or transliterating indigenous names imperfectly. Marracou is one such name, preserved in French cartographic works such as those by Pierre du Val. Rare Maps
These maps often combined a mixture of direct knowledge (from explorers), hearsay, and earlier maps, so names like Marracou appear, sometimes in different spellings, and sometimes in places that don’t match precisely.
What happened to the name / its disappearance
As colonial control (Spanish, later British, etc.) solidified, and as European sources took over map-making, many of the indigenous tribe or province names were lost, changed, or replaced.
Over time, more standardized names (or mis-heard names) took precedence, so Marracou fell out of use, replaced by other names in European maps and by colonial administrative units.
“Marracou” on early French maps is almost certainly a French rendering (orthographic variant) of a Indigenous place name recorded by 16th–17th century French explorers referring to an inland camp or province associated with the Timucua/Mocama world (the coastal Timucua people around northern Florida / southeastern Georgia). French mapmakers (notably Pierre Du Val and later mapmakers who copied his nomenclature) preserved the name on maps even as later Spanish and English sources used other names. Internet Archive+1
Primary explorers’ narratives record a name like “Maracu / Marracou.”
In the 16th-century French narratives (De Laudonnière and company) the inland camp “Maracu” (written in French as Marracou) is mentioned in descriptions of the region and of alliances/warfare among native polities. The JSTOR / archive transcription of older sources explicitly notes “Maracu, in the French orthography Marracou, an inland camp of Indians.” This is direct textual evidence linking the name on maps to explorers’ place reports. Internet Archive
The map tradition that shows “Marracou” is the French “La Floride françoise” cartographic lineage (Du Val and mapmakers who copied him).
Pierre Du Val’s map(s) drawn from the accounts of Ribaut, Laudonnière, and others label many indigenous provinces; Du Val’s map (and later reuses like Bellin and others who copied French place names) include “Marracou” as a place south of the May River / near the Atlantic coast region now around northern Florida / southern Georgia. You can actually view Du Val’s Florida map in the Gallica / David Rumsey / university map collections. Digital Commons
Geographic placement and association with known Timucua/Mocama polities.
The French narratives place Marracou roughly “south” of the May River and in the same landscape as Saturiwa, Tacatacuru and other Timucua world names. That regional clustering, plus modern scholarship on the Mocama (coastal Timucua dialect area) makes it likely the Marracou place was part of or related to the Timucua political geography (Mocama coastal chiefdoms and inland camps). In short: Marracou = a Timucua/Mocama locality or camp in the northern Florida / southeastern Georgia contact zone. Access Genealogy+1
Linguistic / orthographic reasons for variation.
Early European writers transliterated native names according to their own spelling and hearing. French writers used doubled consonants and terminal -ou for the vowel sound (Marracou), while Spanish sources recorded different names or translated whole regions into administrative labels (missions, provinces), so the French form fell out of common use in later records. That explains appearance on French maps and disappearance from Spanish/English maps. Rare Maps
Archaeological and mission records tie the area to Mocama/Timucua material culture and missions.
Modern archaeological projects (e.g., the Mocama Archaeological Project / UNF and mission histories such as San Pedro de Mocama) focus on the same coastal/northern Florida area Du Val’s map labels — supporting the identification of Marracou as part of that cultural/linguistic sphere. Keith Ashley+1
Key primary & secondary sources you can consult directly
Pierre Du Val, La Floride françoise (1665 / 1670s editions) — Du Val’s map(s) reproduce the Ribaut/Laudonnière nomenclature and show Marracou. (See Gallica / university map collections.) Digital Commons
De Laudonnière / French Huguenot voyage accounts — original narratives where Maracu/Marracou is mentioned (transcribed versions are in archival/JSTOR texts). See the archive transcription mentioning “Maracu (Marracou).” Internet Archive
Spanish mission and colonial records — useful for cross-checking: Spanish mission lists and administrative names (San Pedro de Mocama, Tacatacuru, Saturiwa) often rename or reframe the same places the French called Marracou. (Search mission lists / Tacachale references in UFDC). UFDC Images+1
FIRST TRIBE
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