A Brief History
On August 28, 1565, Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed on the East coast of Florida and founded the city of St. Augustine, the oldest city in what is now the United States to be continuously occupied.
Digging Deeper
An explorer and conquistador, de Avilés was the mastermind behind Spain’s establishment of trans-Atlantic convoys of “treasure fleets” to ferry the riches of the New World back to Spain. A major figure in the Spanish conquest of the New World, de Avilés made many voyages to the New World, establishing forts, exploring, fighting and trading with native tribes, fighting other Europeans and establishing missions.
De Avilés died of typhus in Spain in 1574, but left St. Augustine as his legacy, a city that now boasts over 14,000 people and was once the capital of the Florida territory. Natives of the city include Richard Boone, Ray Charles, Steve Spurrier, and the first Jewish U.S. Senator, David Levy Yulee.
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Have you ever been to St. Augustine?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Cervantes, Fernando. Conquistadores: A New History of Spanish Discovery and Conquest. Viking, 2021.
Hahne, Barbara. St. Augustine Travel Guide. Independently published, 2024.
