Early Spanish explorers quickly recognized the importance of Pensacola and its waterways. Remnants of conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez’s expedition sighted Pensacola Bay as early as 1528. In 1539 and Discovery and 1540, Francisco de Maldonado waited in the Bay to resupply Hernando de Soto’s conquistadores, though they never arrived. After the misfortune of the Soto expedition, Spain persisted in its efforts to lay claim to La Florida.

Tristán de Luna y Arellano was charged with establishing a colony on Pensacola Bay, then called Ochuse. In 1559, Luna brought 1,500 people, including families, slaves, and Aztec warriors, to settle the area he renamed Santa María Filipina. A hurricane destroyed the new colony and Luna’s ships, causing the settlers to abandon the effort after two years. Spain did not try to colonize Pensacola again until 1698 when colonists successfully settled in the area that is now Pensacola Naval Air Station.