La Florida – 1513-1763 and 1784-1821: Discover, Explore, Commemorate

The Coral Gables Museum is proud to present a selection of 52 rare maps and plans of Spanish Florida that trace the European discovery, exploration and settlement of present-day Florida and other sections of the southeastern United States that were once part of La Florida. The exhibit is currently available for travel.

Spain established the first permanent settlement in North America at St. Augustine in 1565, fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. St. Augustine’s founder, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, also established several other temporary settlements including Santa Elena in today’s South Carolina and Tequesta on the north bank of the Miami River.

Most of the maps displayed in the exhibit are prints from digital images provided by the Archivo General de las Indias in Seville. Other images were obtained from the Bibioteca Nacional de España in Madrid and from the Ministerio de Guerra and the Ministerio de la Marina. We are most grateful to Spain’s Ministerio de la Cultura for coordinating the exhibit and to Ambassador Cristina Barrios, Consul General of Spain in Miami, who provided the inspiration for the exhibit and opened the doors to the various ministries in Spain that enabled this project to become a reality.

•  digital reproductions of 52 maps, matted and framed
•  wall plaques describing the maps in Spanish and English
•  graphic plan for exhibit
•  requires approximately 200 linear feet

The exhibit fee is $4,000 for 8 week period or $6,000 for 12 week period.  The exhibit is shipped in four crates. The borrower is responsible for one-way shipping to the facility.

For information, please contact Caroline Parker, Director at the Coral Gables Museum, 305-603-8067 or via e-mail caroline@coralgablesmuseum.org.

The exhibit was made possible through the assistance of The Consulate General of Spain in Miami, Spain’s Ministry of Culture, España-Florida Foundation: 500 Years, The University of Miami Libraries, The Mandel Family, with Joseph Fitzgerald, Guest Curator.