Spanish Exploration and Discovery
— Pensacola Maritime Heritage Trail —
Early Spanish explorers quickly
recognized the importance of
Pensacola and its waterways.
Remnants of conquistador Pánfilo
de Narváez's expedition sighted
Pensacola Bay as early as 1528. In 1539
and 1540, Francisco de Maldonado
waited in the Bay to resupply
Hernando de Soto's conquistadores,
though they never arrived.After the misfortune of the Soto expedition, Spain persisted in its efforts to lay claim to La Florida.
Tristán de Luna y Arellano was charged with establishing a colony on Pensacola Bay, then called Ochuse. In 1559, Luna brought 1,500 people, including families, slaves, and Aztec warriors, to settle the area he renamed Santa María Filipina. A hurricane destroyed the new colony and Luna's ships, causing the settlers to abandon the effort after two years. Spain did not try to colonize Pensacola again until 1698 when colonists successfully settled in the area that is now Pensacola Naval Air Station.
Photo captions:
Left: Background image: 1559 Landing of Tristán de Luna at
Pensacola by Herbert Rudeen.
Right: Archaeologists discovered this small carving, a profile of a Spanish ship, on the Emanuel Point I shipwreck. This shipwreck in Pensacola Bay is
associated with Luna's 1559 colonization attempt.
Erected 2016 by the City of Pensacola and the University of West Florida Historic Trust. (Marker Number
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1528.
Location. 30° 24.574′ N, 87° 12.342′ W. Marker is in Pensacola, Florida, in Escambia County. Marker is on Bay Parkway (Florida Route 196) 0.2 miles east of Alcaniz Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 39 State Road 196, Pensacola FL 32502, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Barkley House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Maritime Prehistory (about 500 feet away); Firefighter Vista S. Lowe (approx. 0.2 miles away); Supremacy, Siege and the Sea (approx. ¼ mile away); Purple Heart Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); William Bartram Trail (approx. ¼ mile away); De Soto Trail / A Port with Promise (approx. ¼ mile away); Christ Church (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pensacola.
More about this marker. Very busy location with poor sight lines. Park along Zaragoza St and carefully cross the divided 4-lane city parkway. Alternatively park at Bartram Park (west of marker) and walk along the sidewalk about 1500 ft.
Also see . . . Tristán de Luna y Arellano – Spanish Conquistador. (Submitted on July 12, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 119 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 12, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
