TWO OF FLORIDA’S MOST HISTORIC CITIES—TALLAHASSEE AND ST. AUGUSTINE—HAVE BEEN CONNECTED COMMERCIALLY FOR NEARLY 400 YEARS.

AFTER THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ST. AUGUSTINE IN 1565, SPANISH MISSIONARIES LED EXPANSION WESTWARD, CREATING A CHAIN OF OVER 100 MISSION SETTLEMENTS ACROSS NORTHERN FLORIDA, INCLUDING MISSION SAN LUIS IN WHAT IS TODAY TALLAHASSEE. THESE SETTLEMENTS BECAME SPAIN’S MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS OF ESTABLISHING A FOOTHOLD IN THE FRONTIER.

WHILE ST. AUGUSTINE WAS STRATEGICALLY LOCATED ON THE COAST TO PROTECT SPANISH TREASURE FLEETS, THE DENSE POPULATION AND FERTILE LANDS SURROUNDING SAN LUIS WERE PIVOTAL TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ENTIRE COLONY. MISSION SAN LUIS AND ST. AUGUSTINE WERE ANCHORS OF EL CAMINO REAL, THE ROYAL ROAD, WHICH FACILITATED THE EXCHANGE OF FOOD AND LABOR BETWEEN THE COAST AND INTERIOR.

EVEN TODAY, A MEMBER UNIT OF FLORIDA LIVING HISTORY, INCORPORATED, LOS PRESIDIALES DE SAN AGUSTIN, MAINTAINS THE HISTORICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THESE TWO PLACES. THIS ST. AUGUSTINE-BASED GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS PORTRAYS SPANISH CIVILIANS AND SOLDIERS ALONGSIDE SAN LUIS STAFF DURING SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE RECONSTRUCTED MISSION IN TALLAHASSEE. INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS IS AVAILABLE AT MISSION SAN LUIS DOT ORG.

Courtesy of the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources