"St. Augustine - Mission of Nombre de Dios - Father Francisco Lopez Statue" | Photo by: Jared - flickr - license CC BY 2.0 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jared422/7213535278)
Professor David Arbesú, of the USF Department of World Languages, has conducted insightful research into a key historical figure of St. Augustine. This figure, Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales, has been memorialized by a statue located on the grounds of Mission of Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, FL.
Dr. Arbesú's research has built upon our historical understanding of Mendoza as the first preist in the United States to include details about his life outside of the first 4 years spent in Florida. Unveiling documents archived in Spain, Ocklahoma, and Mexico, Dr. Arbesú was able to paint a more thorough picture of who Mendoza was as a person. A particularly interesting find includes documents that display the historical figure's time near the end of his life, which are included for viewing in the USF Newsroom full article.
Dr. Arbesú's full paper has been published in the Florida Historical Quarterly.