Florida

By 4students
  • 1492

    christopher columbus

    christopher columbus
    Christopher Columbus accidentally landed on America instead of India
  • 1513

    EARLY CONTACT PERIOD, 1500 - 1565

    EARLY CONTACT PERIOD, 1500 - 1565
    Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León and his expedition were the first documented Europeans to land on the Florida peninsula. He landed on the East Coast, near present-day St. Augustine. Ponce de León named the peninsula "Florida" as the season was "Pascua Florida" (Flowery Easter). He then sailed to South Florida, where he was wounded in a fight with the members of the Calusa.
  • 1521

    EARLY CONTACT PERIOD, 1521

    EARLY CONTACT PERIOD, 1521
    After serving time as governor of Puerto Rico, Ponce de León returns to Florida in search of gold. Contracted by the Spanish crown to colonize and Christianize the native peoples, Ponce de León was killed in South Florida.
  • 1526

    EARLY CONTACT PERIOD, 1526

    EARLY CONTACT PERIOD, 1526
    Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón founded the ill-fated colony of San Miguel de Gualdape on present-day Georgia's east coast.
  • 1536

    EARLY CONTACT PERIOD, 1527-1536

    EARLY CONTACT PERIOD, 1527-1536
    Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez led a second expedition into Florida. Numbering over 600, the expedition was a notorious failure. Alienating Florida's native cultures, the expedition was repeatedly attacked. By 1528, Narváez was dead, and the expedition was grounded due to hurricanes. Four survivors eventually walked to Mexico City, arriving in 1536. Despite the failure, their fantastical tales of mythical cities of gold inspired future expeditions to North America.