Join author John S. Sledge as he shares the history and heritage of the Gulf of Mexico, the earth’s 10th largest body of water, and one he lovingly calls a “beautiful, pocketed sea.” The Spanish role in discovering, settling, and exploring the Gulf basin will introduce us to some of the world’s most exotic cities and such memorable personalities as Sebastian Ocampo, Ponce de Leon, Hernan Cortez, and Isabel de Bobadilla, the first (and only) female governor of Cuba.

The author of seven books on Gulf coast history and architecture, including The Mobile River, and Southern Bound: A Gulf Coast Journalist on Books, Writers, and Literary Pilgrimages of the Heart, John is a senior architectural historian with the Mobile Historic Development Commission.