The first in a series of books sponsored by the España-Florida Foundation 500 Years to highlight Spain’s contribution to U.S. history will be presented on May 6 at Miami’s Freedom Tower.

 “Historia de la Florida Colonial Hispana (1500-1616)”by Cuban historian Dr. Salvador Larrúa, the first installment in a trilogy on Spain’s 300-year presence in Florida, focuses on key 16^th and 17^thcentury events that marked the beginning of the process of exploring North America’s vast frontier.

Published by the España-Florida Foundation 500 Years in association with Santillana USA and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation, the work includes a prologue by Dr. Lawrence Clayton, history professor at the University of Alabama.

Born in Camagüey, Cuba in 1942, Dr. Larrúa is a university professor, historian and researcher who has had 28 history books published in several countries.

In his trilogy, Dr. Larrúa describes the origin and development of the Spanish presence in Florida and the rest of the United States and the contributions those settlers made. In his first volume, Dr. Larrúa documents the first explorations and expeditions and the tremendous effort by Spanish governors to colonize this land amid terrible hardships: a lack of funds, Indian uprisings and attacks by the French, English and pirates. Readers of this outstanding work will gain an appreciation for Spain’s magnificent and unparalleled contribution to this nation’s history.

The book presentation will take place on Thursday, May 6 at Miami’s Freedom Tower (6.30pm) under the auspices of Miami-Dade College.

The work was originally written in Spanish but now is being translated into English for the next edition in a joint effort with the University of Alabama.