15 Jun Saludos from the Oldest City in the Nation!

Hello, I am Eliza Burgos and I am from St. Augustine, Florida. I am 19 years old and have lived in St. Augustine my whole life. I am a sophomore at the University of North Florida and am majoring in Math Education. There is so much history in this town that there is to learn and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to expand on my knowledge through my internship at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. Despite having lived here for so long, I only know a few basic details of the city’s rich history — I can’t wait to know more of its past!   I hope that working at the park will give me more experience with public speaking and teaching methods.

This year actually marks the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine which makes working on this site especially exciting. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1565 and has been inhabited since. Many other cities claim to be the oldest city in the nation but St. Augustine is the oldest continually inhabited city in the United States. The city has always had someone living in it. The Castillo itself is not quite as old as the city but is still about 340 years old. I have worked at the Castillo before as a volunteer at summer camps two years ago and I’m happy to return for an internship. At the camps, I was able to learn more about the role of the park staff and it sparked my interest to further work with the Castillo. That’s why I’m so glad I received the opportunity to spend time working at the Castillo and helping with programs and the camps. I am so excited for the weeks to come, thank you for this opportunity!