Welcome to Celebrate Florida! 500 Years of Hispanic Heritage. In recognition of the 500th anniversary of the State of Florida, the Orange County Library System created this webliography to promote and celebrate books and resources from its collection that reflect Hispanic Heritage in the State of Florida.
This project was funded in part by a 2012 Carnegie-Whitney Grant from the American Library Association.
Fiction
TITLE: War Woman: A Novel of the Real People
AUTHOR: Conley, Robert J.
PUB INFO: New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997
CALL NUMBER: FIC CON
War Woman, a brave, headstrong, clever Cherokee, is believed by many in her town to be a witch. Having heard stories about the Spanish, and believing there is great profit to be made by trading with them, she leads a small band of youths on the treacherous road to La Florida. This journey, blessed with success and marred by terrible tragedy, marks the beginning of War Woman’s own personal journey as she leads her people by example and by guidance through terrifying times.
TITLE: Gasparilla: Pirate Genius
AUTHOR: Kaserman, James F.
PUB INFO: Fort Myers, FL: Pirate Pub. International, 2000
CALL NUMBER: FIC KAS
Two centuries ago the waters surrounding La Florida were filled with merchants, mercenaries, bootleggers, slave ships, brigantines and frigates from England, Spain and the young United States...and pirates. Legend has it that Gasparilla, the king of pirates, reigned in the Florida Keys and along Florida's west coast from Marco Island to Tampa Bay, hiding his female prisoners on Captiva Island until they could be ransomed. This novel portrays the life of Gasparilla, a well-educated and highly principled seaman who rises to the rank of admiral before his political enemies savagely destroy all that he loves. Taking the name Gasparilla, his brilliant mind creates a democratic pirate confederacy, a fortress on Gasparilla Island and Cayo Pelau, designs his own ships, is unbeatable in battle, and establishes one of the most profitable business enterprises of all time.
TITLE: Reefs and shoals: An Alan Lewrie naval adventure
AUTHOR: Lambdin, Dewey
PUB INFO: New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2012
CALL NUMBER: FIC LAM
Captain Alan Lewrie of the Royal Navy is ordered to head to Cuba and Spanish Florida to search for French and Spanish privateers who have been preying on British merchantmen and discover if the privateers have been getting aid from the Americans.
TITLE: Margaret's Story: A novel
AUTHOR: Price, Eugenia
PUB INFO: Franklin, Tenn: Providence House Publishers, 2008
CALL NUMBER: FIC PRI
The Florida trilogy continues with a historical romance based on Margaret Fleming, an indomitable woman raised on a north Florida plantation whose marriage spans such tragedies as the Seminole Wars and the Civil War.
TITLE: Maria
AUTHOR: Price, Eugenia
PUB INFO: Franklin, Ten: Providence House Publishers, 1999
CALL NUMBER: FIC PRI
Florida Trilogy Book 1. Maria is the spirited story of Mary Evans, an extraordinary woman from colonial Charles Town who finds a place for herself in St. Augustine after Spain relinquishes Florida.
TITLE: Conquistadora: A Novel
AUTHOR: Santiago, Esmeralda
PUB INFO: New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011
CALL NUMBER: FIC SAN
As a young girl growing up in Spain, Ana Larragoity Cubillas is powerfully drawn to Puerto Rico by the diaries of an ancestor who traveled there with Ponce de León. And in handsome twin brothers Ramón and Inocente—both in love with Ana—she finds a way to get there. Ana faces unrelenting heat, disease and isolation, and the dangers of the untamed countryside even as she relishes the challenge of running Hacienda los Gemelos. But when the Civil War breaks out in the United States, Ana finds her livelihood, and perhaps even her life, threatened by the very people on whose backs her wealth has been built.
TITLE: The life and times of Gasparilla the pirate
AUTHOR: Beater, Jack
PUB INFO: Ft. Myers, Fl ; 1968
CALL NUMBER: FLORIDA FIC
TITLE: There were two pirates, A comedy of division
AUTHOR: Cabell, James Branch
PUB INFO: New York: Farrar Straus: 1946
CALL NUMBER: FLORIDA FIC
When Jose Gasparilla captures a ship to return to Spain to reunite with his beloved Isabel, he finds that she has been married to the elderly man aboard the ship. Striking a deal with the husband, Jose attempts to regain the lost years of his life and live his childhood again; picking a new path in a land without shadows.
Non-Fiction
TITLE: Situado and Sabana: Spain's Support for the Presidio Mission Provinces of Florida
AUTHOR: Turner Bushnell, Amy
PUB INFO: New York : American Museum of Natural History; Athens, Ga. Distributed by the University of Georgia Press, 1994
CALL NUMBER: 266.02346 TUR
Situado and Sabana answers many questions about the Hispanic frontier in the sixteenth and eventeenth centuries; the food grown and eaten, religious and burial practices, forced Indian labor, Native American customs persisting in the missions, the provisions of garrisons and how goods were brought into and out of the missions. We learn about the Franciscan missionaries: what they ate, how they dressed, what church goods they had, and how they got them.
TITLE: Altar and Hearth: The Coming of Christianity, 1521-1565
AUTHOR: Gannon, Michael V.
PUB INFO: Florida Historical Quarterly, 1960
CALL NUMBER: 282 GAN
Article in the Florida Historical Quarterly (Pages 17-44) that covers the Catholic Church and Spanish exploration in Florida from 1521 through 1565.
TITLE: The Florida Catholic Heritage Trail / Edited by Michael V. Gannon
PUB INFO: Sun City Center, Fl; Florida Catholic Heritage Trail, Inc., 2005
CALL NUMBER: 282.759 FLO
The Florida Catholic Heritage Trail covers the history of the Catholic Church and missions in Florida in both English and Spanish.
TITLE: Treasure hunt: The sixteen-year search of the lost treasure ship, Atocha
PUB INFO: New York: H. Holt: 1987
AUTHOR: Sullivan, George
CALL NUMBER: 917.59 SUL
Describes the historical background, the frustrations, false trails, lawsuits, and eventual success of the long search for a sunken Spanich treasure ship loat off the coast of Florida.
TITLE: The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World
AUTHOR: Fuentes, Carlos
PUB INFO: Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1992
CALL NUMBER: 946.02 FUE
An exploration of Spanish culture in Spain and the Americas. It traces the social political, and economic forces that created that culture, taking a fresh look at the events of 1492 and setting them in the context of Spain's own multicultural roots.
TITLE: First Encounters: Spanish Explorations in the Caribbean and United States, 1492-1570 / Edited by Jerald T. Milanich and Susan Milbrath
PUB INFO: Gainesville: University of Florida Press: Florida Museum of Natural History, 1989
CALL NUMBER: 970.016 FIR
Part 9 of the Ripley P. Bullen monographs in Anthropology and History series that covers the discovery and exploration of the Caribbean and the southern United States in the 16th century.
TITLE: Florida Spanish Colonial Heritage Trail
PUB INFO: Tallahassee, Fla.: Visit Florida: Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development: Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, 2009
CALL NUMBER: 975.9 FLO
Book contains history of the Spanish colony from 1565 through 1763.
TITLE: The Cross in the Sand; The Early Catholic Church in Florida 1513-1870
AUTHOR: Gannon, Michael V.
PUB INFO: Gainesville, University of Florida Press, 1967, 1965
CALL NUMBER: 975.9 GAN
Michael Gannon first traces Florida's discovery by Catholics, their subsequent explorations, the Spanish settlements, and the evangelization of the Indians, followed by the tragic end of the missions and the temporary collapse of Catholic ascendancy during the British period.
TITLE: Menendez: Pedro Menendez de Aviles, Captain General of the Ocean
AUTHOR: Manucy, Albert C.
PUB INFO: Sarasota, Fla : Pineapple Press, 1992
CALL NUMBER: 975.901 MAN
A complete and accurate biography of a leader whose ambition drove him to pursue adventure and conquest.
TITLE: Menendez: Pedro Menendez and the founding of St. Augustine
AUTHOR: Stone, Elaine Murray
PUB INFO: New York:P. J. Kennedy: 1968
CALL NUMBER: 975.901 STO
Biography of the man who founded St. Augustine in 1656 and promoted Catholic missionary work among the native population.
TITLE: St. Augustine
AUTHOR: Bozeman, Summer
PUB INFO: Arcadia Pub, 2009
CALL NUMBER: 975.918 BOZ
Summer Bozeman's account of the colony of St. Augustine, from the landing of the Spanish in 1513 to the transformation of St. Augustine into a winter retreat for the affluent and a quaint college town through the efforts of Henry Flagler.
TITLE: Sixteenth-Century St. Augustine: The People and Their Homes
AUTHOR: Manucy, Albert C.
PUB INFO: Gainesville : University Press of Florida, 1997
CALL NUMBER: FLORIDA 975.918 MAN
In this companion volume to The Houses of St. Augustine, 1565 to 1821, Albert Manucy goes back in time to detail the first years of St. Augustine’s settlement, from 1565 to 1700. Focusing on how the first Spanish colonists lived, Manucy describes the buildings and backyards of the early settlers and illustrates how the architecture of the Timucua Indians of Florida influenced Spanish colonial culture.
TITLE: Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire from Columbus to Magellan
AUTHOR: Thomas, Hugh, 1931-
PUB INFO: New York: Random House, 2003
CALL NUMBER: 980.01 THO
Hugh Thomas shows Spain at the dawn of the sixteenth century as a world power on the brink of greatness. Her monarchs, Fernando and Isabel, had retaken Granada from Islam, thereby completing restoration of the entire Iberian peninsula to Catholic rule.
TITLE: Juan Ponce de León and the Spanish Discovery of Puerto Rico and Florida
AUTHOR: Fuson, Robert Henderson
PUB INFO: Blacksburg, Va.: McDonald & Woodwards Pub. Co., 2000
CALL NUMBER: B PONCE
The most extensive biography to date of this important but misrepresented figure in early colonial history of America. This book dispels the myths about Ponce De León and credits him with discoveries for which he previously has not been credited.
Spanish Non-Fiction
TITLE: El Camino de la Herencia Católica en la Florida / Edited by Michael V. Gannon
PUB INFO: Sun City Center, Fl; Florida Catholic Heritage Trail, Inc., 2005
CALL NUMBER: 282.759 FLO
Cubre la historia de la Iglesia Católica y sus misiones en la Florida en ambos idiomas, inglés y español.
TITLE: Herencia Colonial Española de Florida
PUB INFO: Tallahassee, Fla.: Visit Florida : Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development : Florida Dept. of State, Division of Historical Resources, 2009
CALL NUMBER: SP 975.9 FLO
Publicación del estado de laFlorida en relación a la herencia histórica y cultural conectando España y los Estados Unidos.
TITLE: Los Caminos Españoles en La Florida, 1492-1992 / Edited by Ann L. Henderson and Gary R. Mormino
PUB INFO: Sarasota, Fla.: Pineapple Press, 1991
CALL NUMBER: SP 975.901 SPA
Quince historiadores y arqueólogos del estado de la Florida documentan la presencia española desde el siglo 16 a la más reciente emigración hispana. Los ensayos narran el impacto español en los americanos nativos, las exploraciones, misiones, la cría de ganado, relaciones con negros libre, y la contribución de los hispanos en el siglo 19 al 20 en la Florida.
Juvenile Resources
Fiction
TITLE: Free Baseball
AUTHOR: Corbett, Sue
CALL NUMBER: J FIC COR
PUB INFO: New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2006
Angry with his mother for having too little time for him, eleven-year-old Felix takes advantage of an opportunity to become bat boy for a minor league baseball team, hoping to someday be like his father, a famous Cuban outfielder. Includes glossaries of baseball terms and Spanish words and phrases.
TITLE: El Lector = The Reader
AUTHOR: Durban, William, 1951
CALL NUMBER: J FIC DUR
PUB INFO: New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2006
Bella always dreamed of being a lector, just like her Grandfather, who reads novels, political essays and union news to the workers in a cigar factory. However, circumstances force Bella to take a job at the cigar factory to help support her family instead of getting the education she needs to be a reader. Then, her Aunt Lola is arrested with other workers after a union meeting, and radios begin to replace the lectors in the factories, and Bella must find a way to save her family and her dreams.
Title: The Treasure of Amelia Island
AUTHOR: Finotti, M.C.
PUB INFO: Sarasota, Fl. Pineapple Press, 2008
CALL NUMBER: J FIC FIN
Eleven-year-old Mary Kingsley recounts the tumultuous events of December 1813. Her family lived in La Florida, a Spanish territory under siege by Patriots from the United States of America. Patriots wanted to force Spain out of the land it had ruled for nearly three hundred years.
Title: Saving Home
AUTHOR: Lindquist, Judy
PUB INFO: Cocoa, Fl: Florida Historical Society, 2008
CALL NUMBER: LOC.AUTHOR J FIC LIN
Saving Home is an historical novel set during the English siege of St. Augustine in 1702. The story is told through the eyes of nine-year-old Luissa de Cueva and her friends, ten-year-old Diego de las Alas, and a Timucuan Indian girl named Junco. Based on meticulous research, Saving Home engages readers of all ages with descriptions of Spanish and Native American families seeking refuge for more than six weeks within the walls of the Castillo de San Marcos as St. Augustine goes up in flames and a battle rages around them. This exciting historical novel has messages about life, family, and what is important that will resonate with both the young and the young at heart.
Non-Fiction
TITLE: The Incredible Search for the Treasure Ship Atocha
AUTHOR: Matsen, Bradford
PUB INFO: Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2003
CALL NUMBER: J 910.91634 MAT
Presents background information about the sinking of the Spanish galleon, Atocha, in 1622 and describes efforts to locate the wreck and successfully salvage its treasure more than 300 years later.
TITLE: Juan Ponce de León: The Exploration of Florida and the Search for the Fountain of Youth
AUTHOR: Greenberger, Robert
PUB INFO: New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2003
CALL NUMBER: J 910.92 GRE
Chronicles the life of the Spanish explorer who first came to the New World with Columbus and later went on to search for the Fountain of Youth in Florida.
TITLE: First Encounters Between Spain and the Americas: Two Worlds Meet
AUTHOR: McIntosh, Kenneth, 1959-
PUB INFO: Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2006
CALL NUMBER: J 910.92 MAC
Examines the history of interactions between Spain and the Americas, including events leading up to Spain's explorations, the earliest encounters between cultures, and the descendants of those explorers and native peoples.
TITLE: Ponce de Léon: Explorer of Florida
AUTHOR: Molzahn, Arlene Bourgeois
PUB INFO: Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Enslow Publishers, 2003
CALL NUMBER: J 910.92 MOL
A biography of the Spanish explorer who first came to the New World with Columbus, went on to become governor of Puerto Rico, and later came to Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth.
TITLE: The Spanish Exploration of Florida
AUTHOR: Thompson, William, 1931-
PUB INFO: Philadelphia: Mason Crest, 2003
CALL NUMBER: J 910.92 THO
Discusses the sixteenth-century exploration of Florida, from the early attempts of Ponce de León, Panfilo de Narvaes, and Hernando de Soto to the successful establishment of the settlement at St. Augustine.
TITLE: Spanish Explorers [DVD Videorecording] / Produced and Directed by Issembert Productions
PUB INFO: Wynnewood, PA: Schlessinger Media, 2006
CALL NUMBER: J DVD 910.946 SPA
Following Columbus' initial voyages of exploration, Spain established a pattern of conquest and settlement in the New World, fueled by a desire for wealth and colonies. In the name of Spain, many adventurers set out to explore and conquer the remainder of the unclaimed and uncharted Americas. Join our young hosts as they discover the world of the conquistadors who, in their exploration for a shorter path to the East, found personal wealth and an empire with boundless treasures for Spain. Hear the story of Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, who traveled across North America from Florida to California. Learn of Francisco Vazquez de Coronado's exploration of the American Southwest, Juan Ponce de León's discovery of Florida, Vasco Nunez de Balboa's trek through the jungles of South America to claim the Pacific Ocean for Spain and Hernando de Soto's discovery of the Mississippi River. Students will enjoy these accounts of the Spanish conquistadors' expeditions contained in this exciting video dramatization.
TITLE: Puerto Ricans' History & Promise: Americans Who Cannot Vote
AUTHOR: Stafford, Jim 1963
PUB INFO: Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2006
CALL NUMBER: J972.95 STA
Learn about the history, culture and people of Puerto Rico. Includes full-color photographs and illustrations.
TITLE: Florida 1531-1821
AUTHOR: Cannavale, Matthew C.
PUB INFO: Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2006
CALL NUMBER: J 975.9 CAN
Enhanced by period maps and first-person accounts, presents the history of colonial Florida. You may know that a quest for the Fountain of Youth led Ponce de León to claim Florida for Spain in 1513. But did you know that it took the founding of a settlement by French Protestants to spur Spain to take colonization seriously? Readers follow all the action as French forces are massacred, St. Augustine is founded, and Spanish missionaries begin a 200-year effort to convert the Indians to Christianity. Eyewitness accounts help readers compare life during first Spanish then British rule and find out how Florida finally became part of the United States in 1821. Readers can now view the Sunshine State's history through fresh eyes in impeccably researched text.
TITLE: St. Augustine [DVD Videorecording] / Schlessinger Media; Produced and Directed by Summer Productions
PUB INFO: Wynnewood, PA: Schlessinger Media, 1998, 2006
CALL NUMBER: J DVD 975.9 SAI
Viewers learn about St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest permanent European settlement in America, founded by Spanish explorers in 1565.
TITLE: The Acquisition of Florida: America's Twenty-Seventh State
AUTHOR: Sonneborn, Liz
PUB INFO: New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2009
CALL NUMBER: J 975.9 SON
Discusses the acquisition of Florida by the United States, including its colonization by French, British, and Spanish forces, the American invasion of the territory, and the details of the Seminole Wars.
TITLE: The Spanish Missions of Florida
AUTHOR: Suben, Eric
PUB INFO: New York: Children's Press, 2010
CALL NUMBER: J 975.9 SUB
The history of Spain's missions in the American South and Southwest reveals much about Spain's strategy, contributions and failures in these regions, which the Spanish came to view as a defensive barrier for the northern frontier of their empire and as a place where pagan souls might be saved.
TITLE: Florida
AUTHOR: Vollstadt, Elizabeth Weiss, 1942-
PUB INFO: San Diego, CA: Kidhaven Press, 2002
CALL NUMBER: J 975.9 VOL
Discusses Florida's early history beginning with the arrival of Native Americans, through the era of Spanish exploration and European settlement, to secession during the Civil War.
TITLE: Pedro Menéndez De Aviles
AUTHOR: Roberts, Russell, 1953-
PUB INFO: Bear, Del.: Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2003
CALL NUMBER: J 975.901 ROB
A biography of the Spanish seaman and explorer who established a colony at St. Augustine and claimed former French lands in Florida for Spain.
TITLE: The Settling of St. Augustine
AUTHOR: Riehecky, Janet
PUB INFO: Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2003
CALL NUMBER: J 975.918 RIE
Traces the history of St. Augustine, Florida, from its founding and development as a Spanish colony and military outpost in 1565 through the early eighteenth century, and discusses the impact of European colonialization on the native Timucuan Indians.
TITLE: Florida Geography, History, & Culture [Electronic Resource]
PUB INFO: Chicago: CLEARVUE & SVE, 2005
Rejuvenate students' appreciation for Florida's dynamic cultural and geographic landscape with this fact-filled presentation. Tracing the history of the state from its conception to its position in the 21st century, the program takes viewers through a comprehensive overview correlated to the latest state curriculum standards. Unique physical features, native and immigrant cultures, state government, industry, and more are covered with clarity and depth.
TITLE: America's Real First Thanksgiving
AUTHOR: Gioia, Robyn
PUB INFO: Sarasota, Fla.: Pineapple Press, 2006
CALL NUMBER: J 975.918 GIO
Describes the circumstances that led to Spanish settlement in Florida in the sixteenth century, conditions in the region, and life in Spain and among the local Timucua Indians, and recounts the Thanksgiving celebration held there in 1565.
TITLE: Life in St. Augustine
AUTHOR: Isaacs, Sally Senzell, 1950-
PUB INFO: Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, 2003
CALL NUMBER: J 975.918 ISA
An overview of life in St. Augustine, Florida, from 1513 to 1845, including the housing, food, clothing, schools, and everyday activities of the settlers, as well as their interaction with native people.
TITLE: Ponce de Leon
AUTHOR: Blassingame, Wyatt
PUB INFO: New York: Chelsea Juniors
CALL NUMBER: J B DE LEON
Examnines the political and personal ambition that drove Ponce de Leon in his explorations.
TITLE: Juan Ponce de Leon
AUTHOR: Dolan, Sean
PUB INFO: New York: Chelsea House: 1995
CALL NUMBER: J B PONCE
Examination of the life of explorer Ponce deLeon.
TITLE: Juan Ponce de Leon
AUTHOR: Hurwicz, Claude
PUB INFO: New York: PowerKids Press: 2001
CALL NUMBER: J B PONCE
Examination of the life of explorer Ponce deLeon.
TITLE: Juan Ponce de León and the Search for the Fountain of Youth
AUTHOR: Harmon, Dan
PUB INFO: Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House Publishers, 2000
CALL NUMBER: J B PONCE
A biography of the Spanish explorer and governor of Cuba, who attempted to find the Fountain of Youth in the New World.
TITLE: Hernando de Soto and the Exploration of Florida
AUTHOR: Gallagher, Jim, 1969-
PUB INFO: Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999
CALL NUMBER: J B SOTO
A biography of the wealthy Spaniard who came to the New World to seek glory and who was the first European to reach the Mississippi River in 1541.
Spanish Non-Fiction
TITLE: San Agustín
AUTHOR: Lilly, Melinda
PUB INFO: Vero Beach, Fla.: Rourke, 2006
CALL NUMBER: J SP 975.918 LIL
Describe la colonización de San Agustín Florida por los españoles, y la contribución de los afro-americanos en la defensa de San Agustín durante el siglo dieciocho.
TITLE: Los españoles en América [Electronic Resource]
AUTHOR: Thompson, Linda, 1941-
PUB INFO: Vero Beach, Fla.: Rourke, c2006.
El siglo XIX fue una época emocionante en los Estados Unidos. El país se expandió como nueva tierra fue añadido al país, y exploración y colonización de estos lugares se convirtieron en fuerzas impulsoras. Únete a estas personas intrépidas mientras canales y vías férreas fueron construidas y nuevos senderos y rutas de viaje abrieron el vasto país nuevo.
Young Adult Fiction
TITLE: Copper Sun
AUTHOR: Draper, Sharon M. (Sharon Mills)
PUB INFO: New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008, 2006
CALL NUMBER: YA FIC DRA
Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves.
TITLE: Copper Sun [CDB Unabridged]
AUTHOR: Draper, Sharon M. (Sharon Mills)
PUB INFO: Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, 2006
CALL NUMBER: YA CDB FIC DRA
Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves.
Online Resources
The following is a collection of websites that provide information on all time periods of Florida history, including the influence of Hispanic explorers in shaping the growth and culture of the State.
Viva Florida 500 at OCLS
Throughout 2013, OCLS will share a series of special programs, celebrations, exhibits, performances and more to mark the 500th anniversary of Juan Ponce de León's landing on Florida's east coast. Community members are cordially invited to our libraries to commemorate Florida's rich heritage and diverse cultural history.
Viva Florida 500
This website, from the Florida Department of State, details the various programming and events for the statewide, year-long celebration of Florida's 500th anniversary.
A Brief History of Florida
Find fabulous Florida facts from this Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources site, with information ranging from the earliest Native Americans in Florida to the tourism industry and the United States Space program.
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (National Park Service)
Explore Native American, Spanish, Colonial African American, English, and United States cultures during the colonial era (1500-1800) in Florida through the Architecture and Construction, Arms and Armament, and Battles and Sieges at the Castillo de San Marcos fortress.
Exploring Florida's Cultural Heritage Trails
Discover the fascinating history of Florida through the historic eyes of Native American, Colonial Spanish, French, African American, Jewish, and Cuban peoples at VISITFLORIDA.com, the official website of the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation.
Florida Heritage Collection (State University Libraries of Florida)
The Publication of Archival Library and Museum Materials is a searchable catalog of archives and special collections at the ten state university libraries in Florida.
Florida History Library, University of Florida
The P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History is the "leading research center for the study of Florida’s past" and stores primary source documents from Floridians like Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, David Levy Yulee, and May Mann Jennings, as well as Spanish Colonial records on microfilm and historical Florida maps from 1564-1926.
Florida Memory
As an ongoing project of the Division of Library and Information Services and the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory “provides access to archival resources housed in the State Library and Archives that illustrate significant moments in the state's history, offers educational resources for students of all ages, and makes available collections for historical research.”
Museum of Florida History (Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs)
Browse the collections and exhibits of this history museum located in Tallahassee, especially the newly opened ‘Forever Changed La Florida 1513-1821’ permanent exhibit highlighting the development of Florida history beginning with the explorations of Juan Ponce de León.
Oldest House - St. Augustine Historical Society
The St. Augustine Historical Society is the "oldest continuously operating museum and historical society in Florida" and encompasses the Oldest House Museum Complex (preserving the cultures of the First and Second Spanish, British, and American occupations), the Manucy Museum (collections of earliest explorations to modern day artifacts), and the Research Library (Church records, official Spanish and British Colonial documents, oldest municipal and county records in Florida). These institutions work tirelessly for the continued preservation of the nation’s oldest city.
University of Florida Digital Collections, Spanish Colonial St. Augustine (Florida Humanities Council)
This digital collection, made with teachers in mind, makes available a timeline, primary sources, maps and images about Florida’s Spanish Colonial heritage involving Native Americans, explorations, settlements, and missions.
