Thus far only Spain, and to a lesser extent Portugal, had taken advantage of their discoveries. Almost two hundred Spanish settlements had been established in portions of the West Indies, Mexico, Central and South America by the time St. Augustine came into being. Fleets of galleons laden with riches from these colonies began to sail slowly across the Atlantic to Spanish ports. They became known as the _treasure fleets_ because they carried fortunes in gold and silver. Spain’s European rivals watched this flow of fabulous wealth with bitter envy, and pirates preyed increasingly upon it. Some were genuine outlaws; others were merely adventurers, whose piracy had the tacit approval of their sovereigns. The vessels of the treasure fleets usually assembled at Havana, Cuba. From that point their route, taking advantage of the strong Gulf Stream current, lay up along the east coast of Florida and Carolina, thence east to Spain. This was an important lifeline in the then great and powerful Spanish Empire. Back in 1513 Ponce de León, sailing northwestward from Puerto Rico in search of rumored wealth and, it was later said, youth-giving waters, discovered the Florida peninsula. Landing in the vicinity of St. Augustine, he claimed the territory for Spain and gave it the poetic name _La Florida_, because he first sighted its green shores during the Easter season, called by the Spaniards _Pascua Florida_. [Illustration: _Route of the Spanish Treasure Fleets_] PACIFIC OCEAN SOUTH AMERICA Cartagena CENTRAL AMERICA Panama Portobelo Treasure carried overland across Isthmus of Panama CARIBBEAN SEA RICHES FROM CHILE AND PERU MEXICO Veracruz RICHES FROM MEXICO SHIPS FOLLOWED GULF STREAM CURRENT CUBA Havana BAHAMA ISLANDS FLORIDA St. Augustine ATLANTIC OCEAN ROUTE TO SPAIN Although Florida occupied a strategic location along the route of the treasure fleets, it remained unsettled for fifty years following its discovery. Numerous Spanish expeditions, such as those of Narváez, De Soto, and Tristán de Luna set out to explore, conquer and colonize Florida, but instead of gold and silver the conquistadores found only suffering and death in its wild interior or along its beaches. [Illustration: _Indians worshipping one of the columns set up by Ribault, from a drawing by the French artist, Le Moyne._] During this period of exploration and colonization Europe was the scene of bitter religious conflict. Spain, which was solidly a Catholic country, endeavored to stamp out all deviations from its faith. While neighboring France was predominantly Catholic, there were a number of Protestants in the country. They were called Huguenots and included some Frenchmen of noble birth. _The Huguenots Occupy Florida_