Ponce de Leon and the First Spaniards in Florida

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Chapter 1 Pg. 3-5Ponce de Leon lands on Florida’s Shores in 1513

Chapter 2 Pg. 6-8First explorers to Florida and of the Southern United States

Chapter 3 Pg. 9-10Pensacola: First Spanish settlers in the United States

Chapter 4 Pg. 11-12St. Augustine: First city in the United States.

Chapter 5 Pg. 13-14Missions in Florida

Chapter 6 Pg. 15Fort Mose: A refuge for runaway slaves.

Chapter 7 Pg. 16Historical influence of Spain in Florida

Did you know that…? Pg. 17

Chronology of Spanish influence in Florida. Pg. 18-19

Author:Gonzalo Gonzáles de Lara Sáenz. Aggregate of Education in Miami. Office of Education at the Embassy of Spain in the United States

Translated by:Rodrigo Diaz. Project Coordinator at the Spain-Florida Foundation 500 Years

Drawings used in the book were created by grade school students under the International Studies Program of the Miami-Dade County School System, for the “Art and Essay Contest – The arrival of Spanish explorers to Florida” in 2010.

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The Spain-Florida Foundation 500 Years, owner of copyrights has ceded the drawings and photographs used in this edition.

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Chapter 1Ponce de Leon lands on Florida’s Shores in 1513

“Unfortunately the nation believes that the United States was discovered in 1620 when Pilgrims settled in my own state of Massachusetts and they forget the tremendous adventure of the sixteenth century in the southern and western United States.”John F. Kennedy - Former President of the United States of America

In 1492, more than 500 years ago, European explorers and sailors led by Christopher Columbus reached the shores of the New World. During the first years of exploration the size of the continent was unknown. The Europeans decided to proclaim the New World “The Indies”

Soon enough the Spanish started exploring this strange land, naming rivers and drawing maps to identify each new territory. Settlers built cities, seaports, churches, schools, and various forts in different parts of the new continent such as Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Mexico, and Cuba. Forts were constructed to protect colonies and religious missions.However it took European settlers 21 years to set foot on the shores of what today we call the United States.

Ferdinand the King of Spain chose one of his best military explorers to inspect islands northeast of Puerto Rico. He chose a man called Juan Ponce de Leon, the governor of Puerto Rico, who had traveled with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage towards the New World.

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Ponce de Leon was placed in charge of three ships that would sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico to the nearest northern islands. The Spanish called these islands “Islas de Bahamar” since the surrounding waters were not deep. Today these islands are called The Bahamas.

On the 27th of March, 1513, Easter Sunday, also called “Pascua Florida,” in Spanish, Juan Ponce de Leon spotted the shores of a strange flowery land. He decided to call it Florida after the beautiful flowers on the beaches.

Now, more than 498 years ago since that day in 1513, Florida kept its name honoring the colorful vegetation of the state, even before the continent was named America or colonies from other European nations were established.

During that voyage, Ponce de Leon sighted much of Florida’s coastline. He described finding islands, rivers, and unknown tribes of natives. To honor the integration of Florida to the Spanish kingdom and the explorer who claimed it, the King of Spain Ferdinand named Juan Ponce de Leon Governor of La Florida, allowing the colonization and Christianization of its natives.

Ponce de Leon had different intentions for his second voyage to Florida in 1521. He wanted to found the first Spanish colony on the coast of what is now called the Gulf of Mexico

His intentions to establish a colony on the eastern coast of Florida were soon forgotten after he was wounded by the Calusa natives

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and had to order a retreat to Cuba. Due to his fatal wound, Juan Ponce de Leon died soon after his arrival on the island.

Although Ponce de Leon is credited with the discovery of Florida, he was unable to establish any churches or cities in this wonderful land. Nonetheless, years later many explorers would establish what Ponce de Leon failed to do.

Many say that Ponce de Leon was searching for the mystical Fountain of Youth, which according to the Natives was spotted in these lands. Others suggest that he was looking for fame and glory. He really was looking for gold and riches. In any case, Ponce de Leon was the first Spanish explorer to reach what is today the United States in 1513. He named it the most beautiful and oldest name in North America: Florida.

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Chapter 2First explorers to Florida and of the Southern United States

Soon after the arrival of Ponce de Leon to Florida, many more explorers followed his footsteps. Some expeditions went as far as Georgia, South and North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas and even New Mexico.

Panfilo de Narvaez

The legendary Panfilo de Narvaez led the first deep exploration of the territory of the United States in 1528

He led an expedition of soldiers and settlers and landed on the shores of modern day Tampa. Upon his arrival however, Narvaez decided to migrate north in search of riches

Ironically, Narvaez’s expedition in search of riches did not go as planned; his men suffered from hunger and sickness and fatal causalities at the hands of the native population. Narvaez and the surviving crew decided to cross the “Rio del Spirito Sancto” (modern-day Mississippi River) to reach Louisiana.

Fortunately the remaining crew knew of cities and colonies already established in New Spain, therefore a decision was made to abandon the expedition and sail to Mexico. The crew built primitive rafts and boats and sailed towards Mexico. Weather conditions would finally be the cause of Narvaez demise.

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Sadly, Narvaez failed to reach Mexico. During a violent storm many of the rafts including that of Narvaez were thrown off course and he was never seen again. Very few survived at sea and were able to reach land.

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was among the few castaways that did survive the expedition. He was part of one of the greatest journey in the history of New World explorations.

Before sailing towards Mexico, Alvar Nunez along with three surviving castaways had to coexist for more than seven years among different native tribes in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico. The final destination of Alvar Nunez was Spain.

The small group of survivors with long beards and strange appearance were respected by the native population and although in some cases the Europeans were mistreated, for the most part they counted with the help of the natives in order to survive their long journey. In fact many natives thought that the new arrivals had divine powers due to their expertise in treating wounds.

When they finally arrived in the Spanish colonies of Mexico, Cabeza de Vaca and the remaining castaways had such a disastrous appearance that the Spanish explorers had a hard time believing their stories.

After traveling for many years, Cabeza de Vaca finally reached Spain; it was then that he wrote about his experience in the New World. “Shipwreck” was the first account that described the lives of the native population, the beautiful landscapes, and the strange animals in the territories of North America. Nunez Cabeza de

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Vaca’s account influenced many European explorers to sail to the New World. Hernando De Soto

The next explorer to visit Florida was Hernando De Soto. Hernando De Soto had already been in Peru before reaching the shores of Florida. He had been appointed governor of Cuba and named “Adelantado” of Florida by the King of Spain. He led an expedition of religious soldiers and farmers in 1539 towards the shores of Bradenton, Tampa Bay.

Upon reaching the shore of east Florida, De Soto’s expedition was surprised to find Juan Ortiz, a castaway from Narvaez’s expedition, was living with the native Floridians for over 10 years. He was fluent in both Spanish and the native tongue and became a translator for De Soto’s expedition.

From Bradenton, De Soto parted with 573 men towards North Florida on a voyage that would last four years. Today we can follow the Hernando’s footsteps on a route called De Soto Trail that covers Florida’s northern most cities, including Gainesville, Lake City, Live Oak and Tallahassee. His route reaches as far as Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

De Soto reached as far as Arkansas before being fatally wounded by natives. His men buried his body in the Mississippi River and continued their exploration towards Texas before reaching Mexico.

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Chapter 3Pensacola: First Spanish settlers in the United States

“Our country's Hispanic heritage reaches back more than four centuries. When the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock, Hispanic civilization was already flourishing in what is now Florida and New Mexico. Since then, the Hispanic

contribution to America has been a consistent and vital influence in our country's cultural growth.”Gerald Ford – President of the United States of America

Despite the various failures to establish colonies, King Philip II of Spain was still interested in the colonization of Florida, the establishment of cities with permanent residents, and the creation of religious missions to Christianize the native population, much like other territories of the New World.

Spanish explorers found modern-day Pensacola Bay, the perfect site to establish a city, after the failed attempt of San Miguel de Gualdape in 1526.The King chose Tristan de Luna, a gentleman from a noble family, to establish the city. Tristan de Luna led an expedition of a thousand settlers, soldiers, horses, and supplies from Veracruz, Mexico in 1559 towards the Bay of Pensacola.

Tristan de Luna reached Pensacola Bay on 15 August, 1559. The city was originally called Santa Maria de Philippines after King Philip II.

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Much like previous expeditions by the Spanish explorers, bad luck also struck Tristan de Luna’s journey. A month after their arrival a hurricane sank their ships and left the unfortunate settlers isolated and without supplies. The ships can still be found sunken in the Pensacola Bay.

The settlers faced troubled days, and the adversities were such that in 1561 just two years after the establishment of the colony, the settlers decided to abandon the first settlement in North America only to come back years later to continue their work.

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Chapter 4St. Augustine: First city in the United States.

“We in the United States with our diverse culture are in debt to the Spanish culture, population and heritage that has contributed to the development of this nation” Richard Nixon – Former President of the United States of America.

The oldest city in the United States can be found in Florida

In English the city’s name is St. Augustine, however a Spanish General named Pedro Menendez de Aviles originally named it San Agustin. The King of Spain granted Pedro Menendez the rights to colonize Florida.

The construction of Fort Caroline by the French in 1564 in Spanish owned territories worried King Philip II of Spain. In an effort to drive out the French from the territories, the King ordered Menendez de Aviles to establish a permanent colony in Florida.

Once the French were expelled from the land, Menendez established St. Augustine in 1565. The city not only boasted of a small port, but it also had a school, a church, a court, a governmental office, and a military garrison. It was Florida’s most significant city for many years.

Storms, mosquitoes and native attacks made the development of the city harder than expected. If that was not enough, after the first

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years of its establishment the city suffered various attacks from pirates and English militia.

In 1586 an English corsair by the name of Francis Drake, in the service of Queen Elizabeth I, attacked and burned down the city of St. Augustine. Almost a century later in 1668 the city suffered additional attacks that almost eradicated the city’s population.

In 1672 the residents of the city decided to erect a magnificent building that would protect the city and its inhabitants from the continuous foreign attacks. The building was made of coquina stone and called Castillo de San Marcos.

Although it took only 20 years to be fully erected, the Castillo de San Marcos was never captured in battle, not even during the war of Jenkins Ear in 1740, when the city was almost destroyed and its residents had to find refuge within the walls of the Castle.More than 300 years after its construction the magnificent Castillo can still be visited. Its brilliant solid construction of coquina stone has preserved it in almost perfect condition. For 236 years the Spanish presence embedded their culture in St. Augustine. Thus the historical heritage can still be observed in the city.

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Chapter 5Missions in Florida

As soon as friars set foot in Florida, their main intention was to Christianize the native population. St. Augustine was the starting point for these systems of religious missions. However, certain missionaries were not successful and had to abandon their practice. Death was sometimes the fate of these missionaries.

After founding the city of St. Augustine, Menendez de Aviles ordered the construction of small

forts to protect the religious mission and their missionaries. Pedro Menendez intended these “presidios” to be future colonies and cities.

The Franciscans were among the biggest group of missionaries to inhabit Florida. Since the territory of Florida was much bigger during the Spanish colonial period, extending into other states, the Franciscans were able to construct around 128 missions between Florida and other neighboring states; they also managed to convert around 30.000 natives.

Among the biggest system of missions were Mission Nombre de Dios located in St. Augustine, Mission San Luis in Tallahassee and Santa Maria de Galve in Pensacola.

During the Spanish presence in the territory of Florida, rivers were utilized as forms of communication between colonies. The Mississippi River or “Rio del Spirito Sancto” allowed explorers

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and Spanish missionaries to create missions, presidios and small towns along the shores and interior of the United States.

Starting from 1680 British troops started colonizing Spanish-held territories in Northern Florida, forcing the Spanish settlers to abandon colonies and missions. Unfortunately not many Spanish settlers survived.

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Chapter 6Fort Mose: A refuge for runaway slaves.

In 1728 slavery was abolished in Florida. King Charles II ordered runaway slaves from the northern British states to be protected under the Spanish crown. For that matter Manuel Montiano, the governor of Florida, established a small settlement named Santa Teresa de Mose situated north of St. Augustine. Today it is known as Fort Mose.

Fort Mose not only boasted of free black Spanish citizens but also was a refuge for the runaway slaves from the northern British plantations. Once in Florida runaway slaves were freed as long as they swore allegiance to the King and converted to Catholicism.

The citizens appointed Francisco Menendez a runaway slave, as their leader. They formed an army that would defend St. Augustine and Florida from British attacks.

In 1763 the Seven Years War had come to an end. Britain surfaced a winner and Spain had to give up the rights to Florida. In order to keep their freedom, Florida’s inhabitants, especially those in Fort Mose, fled to Cuba.

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Chapter 7Historical influence of Spain in Florida

Florida was part of the British Empire for 20 years, from 1763 to 1783. General Bernardo de Galvez of Spain managed to regain the peninsula from the British with his military victory in Pensacola. This occurred during the War of Independence of the United States in 1776, in which Spain was an ally of George Washington and his army.

The second Spanish period did not last long. Spain endured very harsh years and realized that Florida as territory could not be sustained. In a treaty of 1821 Spain ceded Florida to the United States in order to pay certain debts.

After almost 300 years of Spanish presence in Florida it’s easy to spot Spain’s influence on the peninsula. Many cities in the state derive from Spanish words; Cape Canaveral, Key Largo, St. Augustine, Pensacola, even the name of the state, Florida. Orange fields, cattle ranch or the architectural style of certain cities remind Florida citizens and visitors of the heritage and those historical strings that will forever tie Florida and Spain.

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Did you know that…?

In 1513, Ponce de Leon was the first European to arrive in what now is the United States.

Florida obtained its name because it was spotted on the “Day of Easter Florida”

In 1559, Pensacola became the first settlement in the territory of modern day United States.

St. Augustine is the oldest and most continuous city in the United States.

Narvaez, Hernando de Soto and Cabeza de Vaca explored Florida and many other states in the heart of the country, 200 years before the English or French.

During the 16th and 17th century Spanish referred to Florida as a collection of many states, from Louisiana to Georgia.

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Chronology of Spanish influence in Florida.

1513 Ponce de Leon arrives

1521 Ponce de Leon dies after his second voyage to Florida

1528 Narvaez’s expedition. First land expedition of the United States.

1528 -34 Cabeza de Vaca and three soldiers are castaway and are required to walk from Louisiana to Mexico.

1539 Hernando de Soto and his expedition around many states lasts four years.

1559 Tristan de Luna establishes a colony with a thousand settlers in Pensacola. Unfortunately it must be abandoned after two years.

1565 Menendez de Aviles established St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States.

1600 Religious missions are established

1660 British attacks on St. Augustine and certain missions.

1672 Castillo de San Marcos is built

1698 Permanent establishment of Pensacola

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1728 Abolishment of slavery in Florida, and the construction of Fort Mose

1763 British forces take possession of Florida

1781 – 83 General Galvez defeats British forces at Pensacola and recovers Florida.

1821 Spain cedes Florida to the United States.

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