Vicente González (? - ?) was governor of
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
between November 22, 1577, and 1578.
[Turner Bushnell, Amy (1994)]
Situado and Sabana: Spain support system for the Presidio and Mission Provinces of Florida
The Archaeology of Mission Santa Catalina de Guale. Volumen 68. American Museum of Natural History, Anthropological Papers. Number 74. Page 212. He was also governor of
Santa Elena, la Florida
Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
, from, at least, 1577 to 1580.
Vicente González was appointment
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
of
Pedro Menéndez de Márquez in
Santa Elena, together to Captain
Tomás Bernaldo de Quirós, in 1577, serving in this charge until 1580.
[Witness to Empire and the Tightening of Military Control: Santa Elena's Second Spanish Occupation, 1577-1587](_blank)
Retrieved in July 20, 2014, to 01:47pm. On November 22, 1577, González was appointment governor of
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, holding office until 1578.
In 1586 Gonzalez led a mission send for Menéndez de Márquez to a legendary strait located "beyond" Florida, where several villages were established, of which Menendez de Marquez wanted to learn. During his trip, Gonzalez meet a local
cacique
A cacique, sometimes spelled as cazique (; ; feminine form: ), was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles at the time of European cont ...
who confirmed him the existence of the strait.
[Ménard, Caroline]
La Pesca gallega en Terranova, siglos XVI-XVIII
(in Spanish: The Galician fishing in Newfoundland, XVI-XVIII centuries). Page 57. In October 1586, Gonzalez told the
Council of the Indies
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...
that near
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...
was a port next to a fertile land with gold and diamond mines, which was densely populated by indigenous. The Council decided that this land should be studied and Spanish shipwreck victims to settle there.
In the 1580s Vicente González led several voyages into the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
in search of English settlements in the area.
References
Royal governors of La Florida
16th-century births
Year of death unknown
{{Florida-bio-stub