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Spanish Florida (Spanish: La Florida) was the first major European land-claim and attempted settlement-area in northern America during the European Age of Discovery. La Florida formed part of the Captaincy General of Cuba , the Viceroyalty of New Spain , and the Spanish Empire during Spanish colonization of the Americas .
Jul 7, 2021 · Soon after Columbus landed in the Caribbean in 1492. Ponce de Léon in 1513 led the first of three early explorations of Florida by Spain, followed by Pánfilo de Narváez in 1528 and Hernando de Soto in 1539 to 1540. Settlement came later: Ponce de Léon made the first attempt in 1521 near Charlotte Harbor.
Sep 15, 2005 · Learn how Spain claimed, explored and settled Florida from 1513 to 1821. Discover the history of St. Augustine, Pensacola, missions, expeditions and wars in this online exhibition.
Feb 9, 2010 · Learn how Spain ceded its remaining territory in Florida to the United States in 1819, after years of negotiations and conflicts. Find out how Florida became a U.S. state and what challenges it faced.
- Missy Sullivan
- Hernando de Soto
- Explorations in Florida
- De Soto's Journey
- The Expedition Returns
- Significance of de Soto Expedition
Born in Jerez de los Caballeros in Estremadura, Spain, Hernando Mendez de Soto was the second son of wealthy parents. Since his older brother would inherit the family estate, he had to establish his own career. At the age of 14, de Soto went to Central America as a page for the first governor of Panama, Pedrarias Dávila. As Dávila's representative,...
There had been two previous explorations of Florida. In 1513, Juan Ponce de León(1460-1521) had led the first one, landing along Florida's east coast, he charted the Atlantic coast down to the Florida Keys and north along the Gulf coast. He left Florida in 1514, briefly returned to Puerto Rico, and then headed back to Spain. The second expedition w...
On April 7, 1538, de Soto and 650 men set sail from Seville, Spain, to La Habana Cuba, and they departed from there in May 1539 for Florida. The expedition included knights, foot soldiers, artisans, priests, boatwrights, and scribes, as well as 200 horses and a large herd of pigs. De Soto landed on the west coast of Florida at the Amerindian chiefd...
After de Soto's death, the remaining members of the expedition debated on how to get to New Spain (Mexico) and end the mission. They could escape by either land or river. They first chose the land route but soon abandoned this approach as they had difficulty finding enough corn to sustain themselves along the trail. They went back to the Mississipp...
At the time, the de Soto expedition was considered a failure, since they did not find a state-level society with stores of precious metals and gems like those possessed by the Inca Empire and the Aztec civilization. The Spanish interest in the region waned, and it was left to France and Englandin the mid-17th century to pursue imperial designs in t...
Sep 29, 2020 · Even before Jamestown or the Plymouth Colony, the oldest permanent European settlement in what is now the United States was founded in September 1565 by a Spanish soldier named Pedro Menéndez de...
The early history of Europeans in Florida reflects the conflicts of the Spanish, French, and English crowns for empire and wealth. Juan Ponce de León ventured to the peninsula in 1513 and 1521. Because he landed on the peninsula during the Easter season (Spanish: Pascua Florida [“Season of Flowers”]) and because of the vegetation he found ...
