History Talk with J. Michael Francis on Florida's Hispanic Roots

Published: Nov. 7, 2016, 6:47 p.m.

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Five hundred years ago, Juan Ponce de Le\\xf3n landed on what he believed was another Caribbean Island. In honor of the Pascua Florida, or Easter Sunday, he named the \\u201cisland\\u201d la Florida. In this fascinating talk, historian J. Michael Francis explores the legacy of Ponce\\u2019s voyages to the peninsula, exposing the many myths that dominate popular perceptions about the Spanish colonization of Florida. He\\u2019ll also examine the lives of the many forgotten protagonists in 16th-century Florida, as Europeans, Africans, and Indians forged a New World.

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