Last updated: February 10, 2021
Place
Old World Showdown
![On the far left and right sides of the panel, white text in English and Spanish reads: Old World Showdown. One of the first colonial conflicts between European nations happened near here in 1565. Spain had already claimed Florida when France established Fort Caroline near present-day Jacksonville. This French outpost threatened the security of Spanish treasure fleets that sailed along the Florida coast. To defend its claim, protect its fleet, and defend the Catholic religion, Spain sent 800 sailors, soldiers, and civilians to remove the French Protestants (Huguenots) from Florida and start a Spanish colony. The French had barely survived a year when the Spanish founded St. Augustine in 1565. To secure their place in the New World, the French sailed south to attack the settlement. A storm scattered the French ships, stranding soldiers and leaving Fort Caroline weakly guarded. The Spanish attacked, capturing Fort Caroline. Later, the Spanish found the shipwrecked Frenchmen just south of where you now stand. They spared only a few professed Catholics and artisans needed in St. Augustine. In the end, about 250 people lay dead. Since then, the inlet has been called Matanzas, meaning, “slaughterâ€, in Spanish. The Spanish found the Frenchmen helpless and unable to cross the inlet. End of Text In the center of the panel, a color illustration. On a white sandy dune overlooking blue water, a man in a red uniform with gold stripes looks down on a group of men in loose white shirts and brown pants; many of them barefoot. Their heads hang down and their hands are tied behind their back. Behind the man in red, other men, their hands also tied, are pushed forward by soldiers wearing breastplates and silver helmets. On a dune behind these men stands a man in a long black robe with a cross around his neck; his face turned up toward the sky, his hands folded across his chest. To his left, are more soldiers. One in a black, thigh-length jacket and sword looks down on the shackled men. Behind him stand more soldiers looking out over the water; one holds a large red flag. The panel is set in the elbow of the wooden walkway. Directly beyond the panel is a large oak tree, its branches stretch outward to the left and right. Beyond the tree, on the ground below, thick palm fronds and other vegetation. [End of message]](/common/uploads/place/import/64268b56-0599-4071-a800-1514ee7ab579_image_350.jpg)
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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Wheelchair Accessible
One of the first colonial conflicts between European nations happened near here in 1565. Spain had already claimed Florida when France established Fort Caroline near present-day Jacksonville. This French outpost threatened the security of Spanish treasure fleets that sailed along the Florida coast. To defend its claim, protect its fleet, and defend the Catholic religion, Spain sent 800 sailors, soldiers, and civilians to remove the French Protestants (Huguenots) from Florida and start a Spanish colony.
The French had barely survived a year when the Spanish founded St. Augustine in 1565. To secure their place in the New World, the French sailed south to attack the settlement. A storm scattered the French ships, stranding soldiers and leaving Fort Caroline weakly guarded. The Spanish attacked, capturing Fort Caroline.
Later, the Spanish found the shipwrecked Frenchmen just south of where you now stand. They spared only a few professed Catholics and artisans needed in St. Augustine. In the end, about 250 people lay dead. Since then, the inlet has been called Matanzas, meaning, "slaughter" in Spanish.
The Spanish found the Frenchmen helpless and unable to cross the inlet.