Saint Augustine is the oldest town in the United States. In 1513, sailing from Puerto Rico where he was governor, Juan Ponce de León discovers Florida, landing near the site of Saint Augusine. In 1565, King Phillip II of Spain named Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, Spain's most experienced admiral, Governor of Florida, and instructed him to explore and to colonize the territory. When Menendez arrived off the coast of Florida, it was August 28, 1565, the Feast Day of St. Augustine. Eleven days later, he and his 600 soldiers and settlers came ashore at the site of the Timucuan Indian village of Seloy with banners flying and trumpets sounding. He hastily fortified the fledgling village and named it St. Augustine. This work documents the efforts by Spain, France, and Great Britain to conquer and tame this land for period of over 300 years when Florida became part of the United States in 1821.