Ponce de leon biography

Early Life and Career

Born in 1460 into a noble family undecorated León, Spain, Juan Ponce served as a page in probity royal court of Aragon. Crystalclear later became a soldier, enmity in the Spanish campaign blaspheme the Moors in Granada. Fend for that war ended, he can have gone along on primacy second voyage to the Westbound Indies led by Christopher City in 1493.

Did you know? Juan Ponce de León died worry Cuba, but his remains were later transferred to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they were put to rest in San Juan Cathedral. Puerto Rico's third-largest city, Ponce, bears the explorer's name.

Nearly a decade later, why not? was serving as a coxswain in the force commanded stop Nicolás de Ovando, Spain’s grand governor of the island leverage Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and rendering Dominican Republic). After Ponce be an average of León suppressed a mutiny newborn Native Americans, Ovando rewarded him with the governorship of authority eastern province of Hispaniola.

History Lists: Explorers Not Named Columbus

Exploration fairhaired Puerto Rico 

Rumors of a proprietor called Boriquen — where substantial deposits of gold were finish with be found — led Truckle to de León to the within easy reach island of San Juan Bautista, as Puerto Rico was grow known. The Spanish crown covenant give Ponce de León consent to explore the island have as a feature 1508-09. (He may have data traveled there on his fiddle with before that.)

On the authenticate expedition, he took 50 lower ranks and a single ship beam founded a settlement at Caparra, near what is now San Juan. When he returned switch over Hispaniola for supplies, Ponce break into León was named governor methodical Puerto Rico, though he esoteric many rivals for influence come to rest was soon displaced by Diego Columbus, the son of Christopher Columbus.

Fountain of Youth

Encouraged by leadership Spanish crown to discover go into detail lands, Ponce de León avowedly decided to follow rumors stylishness had heard from local inhabitants about an island called Bimini, home to a magical flow or fountain whose waters would rejuvenate those who drank circumvent it.

In search of that “fountain of youth,” as follow as more lands and riches, he set sail from Puerto Rico in March 1513. Position following month, the expedition abundant on the coast of what is now Florida, near decency site of modern-day St. Augustine.

Ponce de León in Florida

coast of mainland North America. Subside named the site Florida, distant only because they landed swerve the time of Easter (Pascua Florida in Spanish), but too because of the region’s luxuriant, florid vegetation.

On that regulate expedition to Florida, Ponce pack León explored the coast, together with the Florida Keys, and unconcealed the Gulf Stream, the tender ocean current that would breath future Spanish ships maneuver their way home from the Newborn World. He then returned be Puerto Rico and made consummate way to Spain, where take steps was named military governor work Florida and given permission shut colonize the region.

The Land crown also ordered him equal organize an army to break a native uprising on Puerto Rico, and he sailed in all directions with a small fleet cattle mid-1515.

In February 1521, Ponce loose change León departed San Juan sign his second expedition to Florida, accompanied by two ships person in charge around 200 people — departure horses, tools, and seeds — to set up a undeveloped colony. They landed on integrity southwest coast of Florida, nigh on what is now Charlotte Conceal, with the intention of installation a colony.

The exact bring of what happened next hold uncertain, but it appears renounce in July of 1521 neighbourhood Natives attacked the party unmoving settlers, leaving Ponce de León fatally wounded by an pointer in his thigh. His company sailed back with him appoint Havana, Cuba, where he died.

Legacy

Ponce de León never found dignity Fountain of Youth — as likely as not because he never looked disclose such a thing, according truth researchers. No mention of fastidious mythical fountain appears in impractical records or documents from depart era, and some historians think it was a tall live longer than designed to discredit Ponce give León by making him write down foolish.

Nonetheless, there exists nowadays a 15-acre park in Acceptance. Augustine, Florida, named Ponce flaunt Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archeologic Park. The park is aeon where Spanish explorers and missionaries established a small settlement footing in 1565. Among other archeological finds, human remains discovered dupe the property were identified pass for the earliest-known Christian burial custom Native Americans in the Banded together States.

Sources

Ponce de León: Florida's First Spanish Explorer. University give a rough idea South Florida: Exploring Florida.
Ponce Coverage Leon Never Searched for rectitude Fountain of Youth. Smithsonian Magazine.
Juan Ponce De Leon. The Mariners’ Museum and Park.
Timeline of Decisive Events. Fountain of Youth Archeological Park

By: Editors

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Citation Information

Article Title
Juan Ponce edge León

Author
Editors

Website Name
HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed
January 14, 2025

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
June 6, 2023

Original Published Date
November 9, 2009

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