Pedro Menendez Márquez Marqués de Avilés, was an explorer, Spanish conquistador and governor of Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. He was a nephew of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was a Spanish admiral and explorer, best remembered for founding St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. This was the first successful Spanish foothold in La Florida and remained the most significant city in the region for several hundred years. St...

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Biography

Pedro Menéndez Marqués was born probably in Asturias

Asturias

The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. He was the son of Marquis Alonso "El Mozo" and of Maria Alonso Arango "La Moza. He had four brothers: Alonso, Juan, Catalina and Elvira Menéndez Marqués.
They were nephews of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés was a Spanish admiral and explorer, best remembered for founding St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. This was the first successful Spanish foothold in La Florida and remained the most significant city in the region for several hundred years. St...

. In 1565, along with his uncle, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and Bartolomé Menéndez, Pedro Alonso and Juan Menendez Marques led the conquest of Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. They played the command of the troops. The last two were killed in clashes with the Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

. On April 3, 1571, Menéndez Marquéz was governor of Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

  and in 1577 he was appointed governor of Florida. In October of that year, he sent to Santa Elena

Santa Elena, la Florida

Santa Elena was a Spanish settlement founded by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on what is now Parris Island, South Carolina. There had been a number of earlier attempts to establish colonies in the area by both the Spanish and the French, who had been inspired by earlier accounts of the plentiful land...

, a military force commanded by who was appointed Governor of Santa Elena to replace Hernando de Miranda. Menéndez Marques anticipated that the Indians might attack any force that tried to return to Santa Elena, so he and Miranda took from St. Augustine

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...

  a strong prefabricated. He and his 53 men were able to erect it in just six days. At this point, Santa Elena was only a military post, and St. Augustine retained its position as the capital of Florida. Menéndez Marqués sent to Gutierre de Miranda

Gutierre de Miranda

Gutierre de Miranda was the captain and governor of Castillo de San Marcos and governor of Florida .- Biography :...

, brother of former Governor Hernando de Miranda, to Castillo de San Marcos

Castillo de San Marcos

The Castillo de San Marcos site is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. It is located in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. Construction was begun in 1672 by the Spanish when Florida was a Spanish territory. During the twenty year period of British possession from 1763 until 1784, the...

, a new fortress built in Saint Augustine, to serve as Governor and Captain of the site. Menendez Marques soon found other obligations that Miranda should do in San Marcos. However, Captain Tomas Bernardo de Quirós was appointed acting governor of Santa Elena, in August 1578. Between 1577 and 1580, Pedro Menéndez Marqués, Gutierre de Miranda and Captain Bernardo de Quiros, attacked and subjected to various ethnic groups who had participated in the destruction of the first city of Santa Elena.

Personal life

Pedro Menendez Marquez married María Solís. According to some sources, they had a son, Martin Menendez, who was governor of the states of Flanders

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

, mayor and alderman of the town of Avilés. However, according to others, they had no children.