FLORIDA29) Fort Matanzas National Monument Fort Matanzas National Monument, administered by the National Park Service, takes its name from the Spanish word for "slaughter." At this site in 1565 in an effort to protect their territorial claims from the French, Spanish forces killed 250 French Huguenots. Fort Matanzas, constructed from 1737 to 1742, was part of an important Spanish defense network which included nearby Castillo de San Marcos. Like Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Caroline, Fort Matanzas represents the struggle between European nations for possession of the New World.
|