St. Augustine Was Responsible For The Colonization Of Spain

Hispanic Americans have played a large role in shaping the Florida we know today. However, the Florida we know today is vastly different from the Florida that was around not too long ago. The person who was primarily responsible for the colonization of the wild, untamed Florida was none other than Spanish Conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. Menéndez de Avilés brought forth the overall development of Florida by establishing St. Augustine, the oldest continuously-inhabited settlement in the United States, as well as bringing European culture over to the state of Florida. After a month-long journey to the land of Florida, Menéndez de Avilés and his crew arrived in 1565 with the intention of claiming Florida for the Spanish crown. In order to achieve this, the crew established a settlement of their own, St. Augustine, in order to gain a foothold in Florida against the French forces that were competing to occupy it as well (“Pedro Menéndez De Avilés.”). The crew’s conflict with the French ended less than a month later with a decisive, brutal victory in Menéndez de Avilés’ favor, but St. Augustine would continue to flourish as the years went on. The settlement would provide Spain the type of stronghold they would need to maintain control over the region of Florida for years to come, which was

Augustine was an important development in the history of Florida, but even more important than the settlement itself was the European culture it helped integrate into the largely Native American-populated Florida. Menéndez de Avilés, hailing from Spain, brought with him the Spanish language along with the Catholic religion into Florida (“Latino American Timeline.”). Furthermore, future Florida leadership, for around the next two centuries, would continue to be of Spanish descent (“List of Colonial Governors of Florida.”). As a result of this, Catholicism and the Spanish language were deep-rooted in Florida’s culture back then, and in a way, they still largely are