Early Spanish Florida: Unearthing the History of America's Oldest Colony

Florida is
the state with the oldest recorded history of European contact, beginning with
the arrival of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Le鏮 more than five centuries ago--but
many people don't know the full story of Florida during this momentous time. Engagingly
written and extensively illustrated, Early Spanish Florida delves into archaeological
discoveries to uncover the 250-year history of Spanish colonization on the
peninsula.

Judith
Bense, a lifelong archaeologist and expert on Spanish Florida, traces the story
from 1513 when Ponce de Le鏮 accidentally landed on "La Florida" to 1763 when Spain
lost the land to Britain after the Seven Years' War. Bense explores how the
first Spanish settlers tried to colonize Florida with aims to take over the
entire Southeast, encountering harsh weather, competing colonizing nations, and
Native resistance. The story includes the establishment of St. Augustine in
1565, shipwrecks of early explorers and colonists, the building of Catholic
missions in the 1600s, and the journeys of people of African descent escaping
slavery on northern plantations.

The
events in Early Spanish Florida are told from the perspectives of the
intertwined groups of people whose interactions created deep cultural changes,
including Spanish, Indigenous, and African communities. Filled with maps and images of artifacts,
excavations, historical sites, and original documents, and featuring
suggested readings and places to visit, this book offers a wealth of knowledge
and sparks enduring interest in Florida's past.

Funding
for this publication was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with
funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings,
conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not
necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for
the Humanities.