Why was Florida important to the Spanish during the Spanish colonization of the Americas?

Photo of author

Karen Hill

Florida had no gold or silver, and the Spanish did not find its soil good for farming.

But it had strategic importance: Spanish ships carried treasure home to Spain through the Straits of Florida. Spain felt that it had to hold the colony to protect its sea lanes.

In fact, the founder of Saint Augustine was sent there to combat attempted French advances on Florida.

Related Posts

  1. Why didn’t Brazil become a Spanish colony during the Spanish colonization of the Americas?
  2. Why was Mexico valuable to Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Americas?
  3. Why didn’t anyone object to the treatment of Native Americans during the Spanish colonization of the Americas?
  4. How were Native Americans treated differently in other parts of the West Indies during the Spanish Colonization of the Americas?
  5. How did the Spanish discriminate among racial groupings during the colonization of the Americas?
  6. Who were the Spanish settlers who came to the Far North of Mexico during the colonization of the Americas?