University of South Florida
Florida Center for Instructional Technology: The Calusa: "The Shell Indians"
The Calusa native tribe inhabited southwestern Florida. They were the first people that the Spanish explorers wrote about in 1513. Learn about their daily life, customs, economic base, and what caused them to disappear by the late 1700's.
Other
Florida.com: Division of Historical Resources: Archaeology: Galleon Trail
In 1733 a fleet of many ships set sail from Havana for Spain. After a bout of wind changes and bad weather most of the ships were swamped or sunk covering a span of approximately 80 miles in the Florida Keys. The shipwrecks created many...
Curated OER
Etc: Routes of Spanish Explorers, 1513 1565
A map of southern North America, Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico east the Mississippi Delta showing the routes of the early Spanish explorers Ponce de Leon (1513), De Narvaez (1528), and Hernando de Soto (1535-1542).
Curated OER
National Park Service: Hernando De Soto
A biography of Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto who explored the southern coast of what became the United States. Read about his travels and demise.
Other
Texas Bob: The Journey of Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
An English translation of Cabeza De Vaca's first-hand account of his journey and quest to claim territory from Florida to Mexico for Spain.
Read Works
Read Works: The Southeast Exploring the "Land of the Flowers"
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the Spanish explorers who discovered Florida, the land of flowers. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association: Alvarez De Pineda, Alonso
An account of the Spanish expedition led by Alonso Alvarez de Pineda in 1519 that explored the Gulf of Mexico between Florida and Cabo Rojo, Mexico. The explorers tried to establish the Panuco colony but were unsuccessful.
Smithsonian Institution
National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Juan Ponce De Leon
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1982 to commemorate the famous Spanish Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. With a short passage on his explorations to Puerto Rico and later Florida.
Curated OER
Florida Memory: Image of Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
Spanish postage stamp with an image of explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca.
Curated OER
Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Clip Art Etc: Ponce De Leon
(1460-1521) Spanish explorer who was a part of the whose? Second expedition. In 1513 he discovered Florida and occupied Trinidad.