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The Castillo de San Marcos
The Castillo de San Marcos served as an outpost of the Spanish Empire, protecting St. Augustine

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A Spanish Expedition Established St. Augustine in Florida
September 8, 1565

Did you know that the oldest continually occupied city in the United States is in the state of Florida? On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed on the shore of what is now called Matanzas Bay and began the founding of the Presidio of San Agustin. Later the settlement would be called St. Augustine, Florida. Built on the site of an ancient Native American village, and near the place where Ponce de Leon, the European discoverer of Florida, landed in 1513 in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth, it has been continually inhabited since its founding.
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