Sunday Favorites: The Spanish Influence

Most of us have heard that Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon 'discovered' present-day Florida, which he believed to be a giant island, in April of 1513. Because his discovery happened near Easter, and because of its lush vegetation, he called the beautiful land Pascua Florida which translates to feast of flowers in English.

While I personally have heard the tale many times, it really came to life when explained by Chautauqua scholar, Carrie Sue Ayvar, a professional teaching artist and storyteller who used vivid detail and incredible expression when reiterating the historical account to a crowd of about 50 people at CreArte Latino Theater in Sarasota on Friday night.

Ayvar, who flowed seamlessly between Spanish and English shared little-known facts about Ponce de Leon. For instance, did you know he was a crew member during Christopher Colobus' second voyage to the Americas? Or that he actually named our state reptile, the alligator? He donned it el lagarto, but as time went on and different cultures migrated to the area, the name adapted to become alligator -- a result of lazy dialects, Ayvar said.

While the latter could be considered more legend than fact, Ayvar's bilingual blend of traditional, historical, and personal tales brought the folklore of Florida to life and made somewhat dull topics interesting. I particularly admired how uninhibited she seemed when discussing uncomfortable topics like slavery, assault, and genocide, weaving them into her tales through characterization and imagery.

I'd heard versions of many of her stories before, my favorite being the origin of Spanish moss, or, was that French moss? According to Ayvar the name for the fungus varies depending on the country you're in. Her account began with a fierce pirate who intimidated whomever he encountered with his size, brute and insolence. However, his long, black beard was his most prominent feature. One day he bought an indigenous young girl in a slave trade. Before he could get her back to the ship and have his way with her, she escaped his grasp and ran into the woods. He chased her to a tree and watched as she climbed to the tallest branches. The pirate was accustomed to climbing up the mast of his ship. He smirked and laughed as he looked at her through the leaves. He was confident he'd trapped her for good. He got further up the trunk until he was almost close enough to grab her dainty foot. But she dove from the top of the tree into a deep stream and swam to safety.

As the pirate struggled to get down, his infamous long beard became entangled in the branches until he was totally stuck. He called for help, but no one heard him in the middle of the forest. So, he remained there until his death. His bones were bleached from the sun and his black beard turned grey. While his skeleton turned to dust, his beard continued to grow until it covered the branches of every tree in Florida and up into the Carolinas. Isn't that a great tale?

I'm sure no one who attended the event can forget the story of the two drunks who thought they overhead Saint Peter and the Devil dividing up souls in the graveyard. (It was really two thieves dividing oranges). Ayvar's clever "Una para mi y una para ti, one for me and one for you" dialogue she asked the crowd to repeat will forever be engrained in my mind along with her story. The tale concludes with the men repenting and changing the course of their lives into a more devout existence.

All and all, Stories of Florida-Con Sabor was a great way to spend a Friday evening, especially since admittance was a minimal fee, only $5! This Florida Talks program is a partnership between Florida Humanities and the CreArte Latino Cultural Center Corp. Funding for this program was provided by Florida Humanities and sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Look for more great talks. Registration is required to attend.