Florida, 500 years

In 2013 Florida cities will celebrate the 500 years of historical, cultural, social and economic contributions of Spain to this state by organizing a series of important projects and activities.

This heritage program will culminate in 2015, with the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the founding of Saint Augustine. The US government has also established a federal commission to commemorate the foundation of Saint Augustine, the oldest city in USA.

With our free audioguide you can discover the heart of Florida, Saint Augustine with the Castillo de San Marcos, Nombre de Dios Mission anf Fort Matanzas
But, Who discovered Florida?

Juan Ponce de León

His full name was Juan Ponce de León y Figueroa, this Spaniard born in the lands of Castile in 1460. The two main events that he left to the History have been the conquest of Puerto Rico and the discovery of Florida.
He was of noble descent, being page of King Ferdinand the Catholic. It is known that he fought in the conquest of the kingdom of Granada, the last remaining Muslim realm on the Iberian Peninsula. It is thought

Juan Ponce de León

that he could travel to America early, in this time this part of the world was known as in Spanish as The Indies, because the term America will not be used until the mid-eighteenth century.

The plan of the Spanish Crown was clear: to discover new lands and then proceed to its colonization.

There only wasn’t an economic motivation or of power but there was a work of evangelization to those natives they found. The Catholic faith mixed with politics and occupied a very important place in the lives of people.
Ponce collaborated in the conquest of the Spanish, now called Santo Domingo and he was commissioned to conquer the nearby island of San Juan Bautista or Borinquen, now Puerto Rico, in 1508.
Two years later he came to be appointed governor of Puerto Rico and he founded numerous cities.

Later he discovered an area north that was called La Florida, as it was discovered on Easter Sunday called Pascua Florida in Spain, Florida is with flowers. It is for always fall in the early spring.

The Fountain of Youth was a legend according to tradition Ponce anxiously looked for it, but not true. The problem is that this idea is extremely romantic and is now very difficult to forget it and its association with this conqueror.

In 1513 Ponce de León equipped three ships, he defraying all expenses. They start a journey of discovery and conquest. It is known that on March 27th he sighted an island, but he could not find how to land. On April 2nd he arrived at the east coast of the newfound land somewhere on the northeast coast of the current State of Florida. On April 8 he claimed all this land for Spain Crown, calling the Florida land.

Then he sailed south along the east coast, he go upriver that he found, he skirted the current Florida Keys in the west along the coast to Cape Romano. Return to Havana, then he back again and stopping at the Biscayne Bay, before returning to Puerto Rico.

He did not know this was a part of mainland Florida but he thought it was another of the Caribbean islands.

San Agustín

Castillo de San Marcos

San Agustín was founded in 1565 by Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, and subsequently served as the capital of Spanish Florida. The Nation's Oldest City is rich with over 400 years of history and culture.
Although Ponce de León discovered Florida but he couldn’t conquer it and he has many problems in start a settlement there.
In the 16th century 3 colonial powers disputed the territory of Florida: Spain, France and England.

In 1564, French settlers built a fort at the mouth of The San Juan River. This angered the Spanish crown, and a mission led by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was sent to Florida to resolve the issue.
The Spanish Victory was crushing and it led to foundation of the town of San Agustín.

The Spanish mission sighted land on August 28, 1565. As this was the feast day of Augustine of Hippo, the territory was named San Agustín.
It is said that the Spanish Captain ordered the killing of all the French settlers, furthermore they were Huguenot, French Protestant. They asked for mercy but he refused and the place where they died is called Matanzas. It said that Avilés ordered that engraving on their tombs read that they will were killed: not for being French but heretics.

It is true that there are but a few historic buildings still standing but even today we can visit some of the sites of the old city of St. Augustine, San Agustín.

Do you enjoy this article? Discover in AudioViator.com this audioguide and more.

Statue of Liberty audio tour

Statue of Liberty

It is the New Colossus and symbolizes the universal message of hope and freedom for immigrants coming to America and people seeking freedom.

Due to extensive damage sustained by Hurricane Sandy, Ellis Island and Liberty Island are closed indefinitely. But we can remind the history of this symbol.

The Statue of Liberty, officially known as Liberty Enlightening the World, was presented to the United States by the people of France in 1886.

The copper-clad statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence and was given to the United States to represent the friendship established during the American Revolution.

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the statue and obtained a USA patent for its structure. Maurice Koechlin, chief engineer of Gustave Eiffel's engineering company and designer of the Eiffel Tower, engineered the internal structure. Viollet-le-Duc was responsible for the choice of copper in the statue's construction.

The idea for this gift then grew out of the political turmoil which was shaking France at the special time. The French Third Republic was still considered as a temporary arrangement by many, who wished a return to monarchism, or to some form of constitutional authoritarianism such as they had known under Napoleon. The idea of giving a colossal representation of republican virtues to a sister republic across the sea served as a focus for the republican cause against other French politicians.

Statue of Liberty location

The statue is of a robed woman holding a torch.  It’s made of a sheeting of pure copper, hung on a framework of steel. Originally it’s made of puddled iron with the exception of the flame of the torch, which is coated in gold leaf.  In the beginning the torch made of copper and later altered to hold glass panes. The statue is 151 feet, 46 meters, tall. With the pedestal and foundation, it is 305 feet, 93 meters, tall.

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous icons of the United States and was, from 1886 until the jet age, often one of the first glimpses of the USA for millions of immigrants after ocean voyages from Europe. However, until its demolition, the Coney Island Elephant was actually the first structure seen by immigrants arriving in the city of NewYork. The Statue of Liberty appears to draw inspiration from the Colossus of Rhodes.

We recommend visit the monument with an audioguide, I download one free.

 

INFORMATION

Fees (when it's open)
$13.00 - 13  to 61 years-old
$10.00- Seniors 62 and over
$ 5.00- Children 4-12

Details
There is no entrance fee to enter the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island. National Park Passes only apply to entrance fees.
Ferry fees:
$17.00, 13 to 61
$14.00, Senior Citizens (62 and over)
$9.00,Children 4 to 12.

Opening hours:  9:00 am - 5:00 pm.  Hours are adjusted seasonally and during holiday periods.

Spring 2009 Season: From April 4th through April 19th, the first ferries to Liberty Island and Ellis Island will depart at 8:30 AM.  If you wish to visit both island's, we strongly suggest arriving on a ferry leaving mainland by 1 pm.

Liberty and Ellis Islands are open daily except December 25th.

Hello!

Hello! We have launch the AudioViator blog in English. We want that it aren't a static web, I want that you comment the posts.

But, What is AudioViator?

Download free audio tours

AudioViator is a collaborative project among internet users. With AudioViator you can create and download audioguides in several languages and share your knowledge with people while they visit monuments, cities, nature reserves and anything else you can imagine! We know it's just not the same to visit a city or a museum if you have to read large texts and carry heavy guides. It's much better when you can listen to the history and explanations of the best spots and their details. This is why AudioViator wants to spread culture with your collaboration.

What is an audio tour?

The best explanation is a video,

What does AudioViator want to achieve?

AudioViator want to spread the knowledge by internet and help people what like to know more. We think the culture must be free.

How can I collaborate with this proyect?

mp3s + map = audio tour

It's very easy! You only need to sign up to have all the necessary files for editing the audioguides. You can register in three easy steps. And rest assured, AudioViator will never use your email for advertising purposes! Then, start to edit your audioguide by filling in its main characteristics, giving a general description, and attaching a map or other image where you can plot the different points for the audioguide tour. 

Next, you need to complete the informational text for each point. Later, you can choose the background music and the kind of the voice, a male or female one. Then, we dub all the texts and the audioguide will be available on the web. You will receive an e-mail when its ready for download. 

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