PEDRO MENENDEZ DE AVILES was a brutal Spanish sailor, soldier, explorer, and conquistador. King Philip II of Spain sent him to Florida to kill the French Huguenots who had settled there to take over their land. He sailed from Spain in 1565 with 11 ships and about 2,000 soldiers. They landed at the Bay of St. Augustine which is in Florida one month later. They established a settlement there (It's now the oldest continually inhabited city in the United States). One month later, Aviles and his soldiers attacked the nearby French Colony called Fort Caroline. He even explored the coatline of North America as far as South Carolina, and built forts along the coast for protection. (1519-1574)
LUCAS VAZQUEZ DE AYLLON was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who tried to start a colony in North America in 1526. He was the first European colonizer of what is now South Carolina. His attempt to settle there was unsuccessful. His expedition sailed from Hispaniola to South Carolina on two ships; the settlers included African slaves. The colony, called San Miguel de Guadalupe, was disrupted by a fight over leadership. During this, the slaves revolted and fled the colony to live among the Cofitachiqui. The colony soon came to an end as de Ayllon and the other colonists died in a fever epidemic. (1475-1526)
ALVAR NUNEZ CABEZA DE VACA was a Spanish explorer who sailed to North America from Spain, leaving in 1527. After surviving a hurricane near Cuba, the expedition landed on the west coast of Florida in 1528, claiming the land for Spain. The series of hurricanes and conflicts resulted of the deaths of many of the crew members. They hoped to find a Spanish settlement in Mexico. They landed in Galveston Island. After a very cold winter with very little food, only 15 men survived. In spring, the men traveled west by land, walking along the Colorado river. By 1533, there were only 4 survivors including de Vaca. They were enslaved by Indian tribes along the way. Da vaca was the first European to see the bison. They reached the settlement of Culiacan after being stranded in Florida for 8 years. After serving as a Mexican territorial governor, he returned to Spain. (1490-1557)