Pedro Menéndez de Avilés

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was a Spanish admiral, explorer, and conquistador from Avilés, in Asturias, Spain. He is notable for planning the first regular trans-oceanic convoys, which became known as the Spanish treasure fleet, and for founding St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565. This was the first successful European settlement in Spanish Florida and the most significant city in the region for nearly three centuries.