Maps of Spanish Florida
The maps below are intended to provide a basic overview of
the spatial extent of Spanish Florida as measured through the locations of its earliest
explorations, later forts, garrisons, and missions, as well as its final
collapse. For the sake of simplicity, many details are of course left off
these maps. Click on each map to see a larger version.
Explorations
/ Forts / Missions /
Raiding and Retreat
Explorations, 1513-1564
This map shows the known or projected landing sites of
various early exploratory expeditions across greater Spanish Florida, including
early coastal landing sites and attempted settlements, as well as selected
American Indian communities visited in the interior during the 1540 expedition
of Hernando de Soto, and by a detachment of soldiers under Mateo de Saúz
(under Tristán de Luna) in 1560. See the
Settlement page for more
details.
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Forts, 1565-1763
This map shows the known or projected locations of Spanish
forts and military garrisons throughout greater Spanish Florida during the First
Spanish period, including early coastal forts established by Pedro Menéndez de
Avilés and deep interior forts established by Menéndez's lieutenant Juan Pardo,
along with a range of late 17th-century military outposts established to protect
the Franciscan mission provinces during the era of the Indian slave trade.
Pensacola's presidios, garrisoned out of Mexico after 1698, are also shown.
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Missions, 1565-1763
This map shows the known or projected locations of selected
Spanish missions across greater Spanish Florida during the First Spanish period,
including early efforts by Jesuits and secular clergy, as well as later missions
established by Franciscan friars (only provincial designations are provided in
most cases, since individual mission names are too numerous for the map).
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Raiding and Retreat,
1659-1711
This map is a schematic showing the overall trajectories of
Indian slave-raiding against greater Spanish Florida, including the names and
general location of the Native American raiders (in blue), as well as the dates
of last withdrawal of Florida Indians from specific provinces, missionized and
otherwise, and the direction of their retreat (in red).
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