Florida Conquistadors

969 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Spanish conquest of the americas essay

The New World
A land where people could prosper. A land with plenty of opportunity for quick advancement in the Spanish military and diplomatic careers.

Coming to the end of the fifteenth century; there were thousands of daring men and women who would be crossing the ocean to conquer just within a few centuries what had taken the Indians thousands to years to inhabit! The discovery of Gold in Mexico and Peru caused many Spanish men to join the army; Leading a successful colonial mission could get them the funds to build a castle instead of the younger sons of the nobility inheriting a small part of the family estate. There were also those who came for spiritual reasons. More than just priests and church leaders, the eternal blessing of God would be earned by turning the Americas into Catholic lands.

Through 1516 and 1561 Florida had been explored by many Spaniards. Two Including: Ponce De Leon and Panfilo De Navareaz…

Juan Ponce De Leon
Known as the original discoverer of Florida. He was the grandson of a famous war hero. Trained as a soldier and a public servant. Joining Columbus' second voyage with his family they went to retire in the Dominican Republic. Columbus had been made military governor for life, but with his death someone new had to be appointed, Spanish authorities refused to grant it to his son Diego. The Crown had Ponce de Leon of course chosen. His first task was to colonize Puerto Rico; it was accomplished with a few men and a greyhound that scared the natives.

Diego Columbus was unhappy and decided to take his claim to the courts in Madrid. He was given his rights. Then becoming military governor, Ponce De Leon was removed from office. He felt his name was damaged and refused to serve Diego. He then was given title to explore the Upper Bahamas and areas to the north.

In the Beginning of March in 1513, Ponce de Leon sailed to the Bahamas and headed toward Florida. He was seeking a spiritual rebirth in the Fountain of Youth.
March 27, 1513, Easter Sunday, his crew sighted land. Six days later he reached the Florida coast and kept sailing northward to land near St. Augustine. He named the place "Pescua Florida", "the place of flowers,” in honor of Easter Sunday and all the beautiful flowers that bloomed in spring. On their return voyage he met up with the Indians of Jupiter Inlet and took note of the important features on the East Coast.

Show More
Related

  • The Exploration of Hernando de Soto

    2944 Words  | 6 Pages

    Milanich, Jerald T. and Susan Milbrath., ed. First Encounters: Spanish Exploration in the Caribbean and the United States1492-1570. Gainesville: U of Florida P, 1989.

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus: Conquistadors In The European Age Of Exploration

    1904 Words  | 4 Pages

    On that day he discovered the “Florida current” which is today known as the Gulf Stream. He and his men had experienced a very strong current when heading north earlier in the month. But when they headed south, they faced it head on. It was so strong all three of his ships were propelled backward even with the wind somewhat on their side. A while later, the crew found themselves on the banks of a river that Ponce de León had named La Cruz. While there, Ponce de León planted a quarry stone cross, as was custom at the time, to mark his claim to the land of Florida (Gannon). Ponce de León would then sail south along the coastline of Florida. He would go through the Florida Keys and possibly venture as far north as Charlotte Harbor or perhaps even Pensacola Bay before turning south and returning to San Juan Bautista. Ponce de León and his three ships arrived in Puerto Rico on September 13, 1513. Ponce de León would then return to Spain in 1514.

    Read More

  • Francisco Pizarro

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    He led many expeditions into South America. Most were unsuccessful because they met many hostile tribes and he didn’t have enough men. He went back to Panama many times to ask for reinforcements. The governor of Panama gave him men and supplies in exchange for some gold. Pizarro’s partner , Diego de Almagro, went with him on many expeditions and always went back to Panama for men and supplies. The governor was becoming restless because he was not getting much gold. Almagro went to convince the governor that all was not lost and they received more reinforcements. With these men, he set sail for Peru and founded the city of Trujillo.

    Read More

  • Anthony Johnson's Life In Jamestown, Virginia

    268 Words  | 1 Pages

    In 1513, an explorer named Juan Garrido came to Florida. He went to places like California and Mexico with a man named Cortez. About 20 years later, another man named Esteban the Moor crossed a Texas desert. He was one of four survivors from an expedition that went wrong. They were among the first explorers who found hope and opportunity here, but things were about to change.

    Read More

  • outside reading assignment

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    Once Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of Haiti and the Dominican Republic word spread across Spain like wildfire that Christopher had succeeded in sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. Other countries such as Spain and Portugal sent conquistadors to explore the New Territory and claim lands for their own people. Spain under the rule of Isabella and Ferdinand sent Hernan Cortez, an incredible charismatic leader who was cunning, ruthless and highly educated. Hernan set sail for the coast of Mexico where he landed on the small island of San Juan de Ulua, just along the Eastern Coast of Mexico. As he set sail there will there be more to it

    Read More

  • Colonizing Florida

    1128 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Spanish had great expectations of Florida despite disastrous results from expeditions such as Ponce de Leon and Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon's. In a description of the panhandle region from Hernando de Soto's campaigns, Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo wrote, “The Province of Apalache is very fertile and abundantly provided with much corn, kidney beans, pumpkins, various fruits, much venison, many varieties of birds and excellent fishing near the sea.” Notwithstanding the environmental benefits, the Spanish were ultimately unsuccessful in establishing a plantation economy in Florida. Both the British and the proto-Seminoles achieved greater success in establishing a plantation economy after the failure of the Spanish. Many factors contributed to the success of the proto-Seminoles and British in Florida including increased population, choice of economy, and African presence in Florida.

    Read More

  • Saint Augustine, Florida

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    After Leaving Puerto Rico in early March 1513, he sailed northwest to eventually find land that he thought was an island. This island had been the discovery of Florida and then he landed in the vicinity of Saint Augustine. After landing near Saint Augustine, Ponce de Leon claimed the land for Spain. While in the region of Saint Augustine, he had encountered the natives that were living there. He had quickly realized that they were fierce and to settle there, they would need to bring in forces. After several expeditions ended with the death or some other disaster, King Philip II decided that colonizing Florida was not worth it. The king’s men had died from an attack from the Natives and diseases. Therefore, the explorations of Florida came to an end. Thus, the French swooped in and wanted to make Florida theirs, a man named Jean Ribault led the expedition to Florida. The French settled on St. Johns River and built Fort Caroline. The French had traded with the Saturiba tribe for food. When King Philip II found out about Ribault landing in Florida, he sent Pedro Menendez de Aviles, to get rid of the French and to settle there. Menendez docked at Saint Augustine, on August 28, 1565, and on September 6, 1565. However, to the Seloy tribe, it wasn’t a town called Saint Augustine; instead, it was called Seloy. After Menendez landed, the life of the Natives of Seloy was never the same

    Read More

  • All About Florida

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    Florida was first settled over 12,000 years ago when people from Asia migrated to the Americas over the Bering Land Bridge. The first European to set foot on the North American continent was the Spaniard Juan Ponce de León. In Spain, there were rumors of a spring bubbling with the magical waters of youth (Heinrichs 15). He set out determined to uncover many rumors about the New World. On March 27th, 1513, he went ashore near present-day St. Augustine and called the area La Florida for one of two reasons. It was either because it was Easter time (Pascua Florida in Spanish) or because of all the flowers he found there (Florida is Spanish for “flowery”). Unfortunately, León was killed by an Indian attack on his second expedition of the area in 1521. The next explorer to try his luck in Florida was Pánfilo de Narváez. Gold was the object of his voyage to Florida, but he found none when he went ashore in Tampa Bay in 1528.

    Read More

  • Ignorance In Abortion

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many controversial issues involved with human abortion. Ignorance is one of the various factors that are giving people the ability to partake in such a horrifying procedure. Parents allowing doctors and other persons to medically terminate the life growing inside of them seem to be misunderstanding what terrors they are allowing to take place. The disturbing fact behind abortion is that prochoice abortionists are murdering the human lifeform growing inside of pregnant mothers. The children being killed will not have the chance to be adopted, because inadequate doctors assure the mother she is doing nothing wrong even though God is forming the children with purpose. Abortion is an ongoing problem persistently murdering innocent

    Read More

  • Ethical Social Work Essay

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    To be an ethical social worker you have to make sure you follow all ethics and are consistent. Walter explained that there are four qualities to him that makes someone an effective social worker. First he explained that it is important to have integrity. Integrity is important because you have to have morals and are honest with yourself. That to me is very important when being an effective and ethical social worker because it makes all the sense, it’s a perfect quality to have for life in general. Second, is honesty… that falls through with integrity also. Honesty is important because you have to be true to yourself and the people that are around

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Victor And Vanquished

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    From 711-1492, Christian Spaniards lived under Moorish rule until eventually, the Christian Kingdoms took over during the Reconquista. The conflicts between the Muslims and Christians created a militaristic culture in Spain that surpassed that of any other European nation. Furthermore, being trained militarily was often exclusively attributed to the nobility however, in Spain, “many young men knew these skills and used them to their advantage.” Without a doubt, recently reconquering their homeland motivated the Spanish to a basis for expansion and conquest that most other European societies were lacking. In addition, the voyages of Christopher Columbus led to discovering the New World which undoubtedly contributed to added interest in conquest. Eventually, each conquest further raised Spanish hopes for fame and

    Read More

  • Informative Essay: The Unknown Impact Of Cell Phones

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    A huge area of impact that cell phones causes is that they change the way that we interact with people. My dad used to tell me how when he was a kid he had to ride his bike to his buddy’s houses to see what they were doing that day. Now all a person has to do is text them a simple “what’s up” to see what they are doing and

    Read More

  • Gap Year Pros And Cons Essay

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    Press, H. Y. (2016, May 02). 5 things to know about a gap year, when students take time off. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from

    Read More

  • Florida And Civil War

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Then, during the early 16th century, Juan Ponce de Leon, a spanish explorer, sailed to the peninsula searching for the Fountain of Youth. He never discovered it, but he did establish a new territory for Spain, naming it Florida, which translates to “Flowery Land”(Christian 21).

    Read More

  • The Negative Essay: The Importance Of Cell Phones

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cell phones are reception has become reliable of high quality due to advances in wireless

    Read More

More about Florida Conquistadors

Open Document