On the afternoon of June 27, 1565, the largest squadron of the Armada de Florida, under the command of one of Spain’s most famous and capable mariners, Captain-General Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, left its anchorage in the ancient harbor of Cádiz and set sail for North America’s peninsula of Florida. The settlers, soldiers, and sailors aboard this fleet would establish what would become the State of Florida, as well as found the first permanent European city, port, and parish in what is now the continental United States – St. Augustine, Florida.
