Floridanos

Floridanos (English: Floridians, Floridans) is a term for colonial residents of Spanish Florida, as well as for the modern descendants of the earliest Spanish settlers who lived in St. Augustine between 1565 and 1763 and Hispanic Immigrants coming from Hispanic nations like Cuba. It also refers to those of Spanish descent who lived in East and West Florida after 1781, when Bernardo de Gálvez took back Mobile and Pensacola in West Florida from British hands. Some Floridanos can trace their ancestry in Florida back twelve or more generations. Descendants of the original Floridanos can be found throughout the state, especially in St. Augustine,[1] as well as in Miami, Tampa, and Orlando.

Floridanos
Flag of Florida
Total population
unknown
Regions with significant populations
 United States ( Florida)
Languages
Spanish (American Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Cuban Spanish, Dominican Spanish, Puerto Rican Spanish, Colombian Spanish, Venezuelan Spanish, Etc.), English, Spanglish (Cubonics)
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups

History
Main article: Spanish Florida

Established on September 8, 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in what is now the United States.[2] From that time on, hundreds of Spanish soldiers and their families moved from Cuba to St. Augustine to establish new lives. Following Spain's defeat in the Seven Years' War, Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain in 1763. Some of St. Augustine's Spanish settlers left Florida during the period that British ruled East Florida, with many of them moving to Cuba. Approximately 3,000 Floridanos left Florida for Havana, Cuba between 1763 and early 1764. Spanish Floridians in west Florida mostly fled to Veracruz, Mexico, with about 620 sailing from Pensacola.[1] The term "Floridano" was the term used by the Spanish colonial authorities to designate Spanish Floridian immigrants to Cuba.[3] Spain recovered East Florida and gained control of West Florida through the Peace of Paris of 1783.[4][5] The governors of the provinces of East and West Florida promoted Spanish migration to them. Florida was ceded to the United States in 1819 by the Adams–Onís Treaty. As happened in 1763, many Floridanos migrated to Cuba. A mix of Cuban and Spanish immigrants began arriving in the late 1800s to found and work in the new communities of Ybor City and West Tampa.

In 2010, an historical marker titled "Los Floridanos" that commemorates the Floridanos was unveiled at St. Augustine's Visitor Information Center.

Demographics

The number of descendants of Spanish settlers in Florida is unknown. However, two of the earliest settlers, Francisco Sanchez and Manuel Solana, are known to have between 500 and 1,000 descendants living in the state. Manuel Solana was a descendant of Alonso Solana who had arrived to Florida in 1613 as a soldier in the Spanish military. These settlers were some of the few Spaniards who remained in Florida when the territory was ceded to Great Britain in 1763. Their descendants founded the Los Floridanos Society in St. Augustine,[6] whose main function is to teach the history and legacy of the first settlers (1565-1765) to interested people. Some people of Cuban origin living in Florida also have ancestors in Colonial Florida. Some of the descendants of East Florida Governor José María Coppinger, who was not a settler of Florida and lived in Cuba his last years, also live in Florida.[7][8]

Notable Floridanos
  • Joseph Marion Hernández (1788 - 1857), Floridano who served as the first delegate from the Florida Territory. He was also the first Hispanic American to serve in the United States Congress and a member of the Whig Party (1822 - 1823)
  • Eligio de la Puente (1724–1781), Floridano who held various public offices in St. Augustine, Florida and in Havana, Cuba during the 18th century
  • Agustín V. Zamorano (1798–1842), Floridano who served as governor of Alta California (1832 - 1833)

See also

References
  1. James A. Jones, Jr. (2015-09-05). "Manatee's 'Los Floridanos' to attend 450th anniversary reunion in Saint Augustine". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  2. "Florida Frontiers "Floridanos, Menorcans, Cattle-Whip Crackers: Poetry of St. Augustine"". The Florida Historical Society. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  3. "Identifying los floridanos was important task". The St. Augstine Record. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
  4. Wright, J. Leitch (1972). "Research Opportunities in the Spanish Borderlands: West Florida, 1781–1821". Latin American Research Review. Latin American Studies Association. 7 (2): 24–34. JSTOR 2502623.
  5. Weber, David J. (1992). The Spanish Frontier in North America. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. p. 275. ISBN 978-0-300-05917-5.
  6. Lilly Rockwell (2013-01-05). "Early Spanish settlers saw Florida as 'a business opportunity'". Florida Trend. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  7. Patricia Riles Wickman (August 27, 2006). Osceola's Legacy. University of Alabama Press. pp. 39–40. ISBN 978-0-8173-5332-2.
  8. Francisco Xavier De Santa Cruz Y Mallen; Francisco Xavier de Santa Cruz y Mallén (conde de San Juan de Jaruco) (1988). Historia de familias cubanas. Editorial Hércules. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-89729-409-6.
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