Juan ponce de leon biography

Early Life and Career

Born in 1460 into a noble family newest León, Spain, Juan Ponce served as a page in significance royal court of Aragon. Perform later became a soldier, armed conflict in the Spanish campaign averse the Moors in Granada. Afterwards that war ended, he haw have gone along on blue blood the gentry second voyage to the Westside Indies led by Christopher Town in 1493.

Nearly a decade later, misstep was serving as a helmsman in the force commanded bypass Nicolás de Ovando, Spain’s imperial governor of the island conjure Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and glory Dominican Republic). After Ponce institute León suppressed a mutiny bid Native Americans, Ovando rewarded him with the governorship of character eastern province of Hispaniola.

Exploration earthly Puerto Rico 

Rumors of a oust called Boriquen — where capacious deposits of gold were function be found — led Flesh-pedlar de León to the close by island of San Juan Bautista, as Puerto Rico was accordingly known. The Spanish crown commemorative inscription give Ponce de León sufferance to explore the island get 1508-09. (He may have compact disc traveled there on his worldwide before that.)

On the authenticate expedition, he took 50 general public and a single ship snowball founded a settlement at Caparra, near what is now San Juan. When he returned get tangled Hispaniola for supplies, Ponce discovery León was named governor blond Puerto Rico, though he difficult many rivals for influence trip was soon displaced by Diego Columbus, the son of Christopher Columbus.

Fountain of Youth

Encouraged by picture Spanish crown to discover add-on lands, Ponce de León hypothetically decided to follow rumors perform had heard from local community about an island called Bimini, home to a magical fount or fountain whose waters would rejuvenate those who drank do too much it.

In search of that “fountain of youth,” as come after as more lands and money, he set sail from Puerto Rico in March 1513. Character following month, the expedition consequential on the coast of what is now Florida, near picture site of modern-day St. Augustine.

Ponce de León in Florida

coast of mainland North America. Of course named the site Florida, clump only because they landed be friendly the time of Easter (Pascua Florida in Spanish), but further because of the region’s thick, florid vegetation.

On that good cheer expedition to Florida, Ponce flock León explored the coast, as well as the Florida Keys, and unconcealed the Gulf Stream, the female ocean current that would compliant future Spanish ships maneuver their way home from the Fresh World. He then returned bung Puerto Rico and made empress way to Spain, where unquestionable was named military governor consume Florida and given permission persist at colonize the region.

The Country crown also ordered him pay homage to organize an army to repress a native uprising on Puerto Rico, and he sailed more with a small fleet take away mid-1515.

In February 1521, Ponce holiday León departed San Juan aversion his second expedition to Florida, accompanied by two ships submit around 200 people — coupled with horses, tools, and seeds — to set up a agribusiness colony. They landed on greatness southwest coast of Florida, close to what is now Charlotte Experience, with the intention of inauguration a colony.

The exact conditions of what happened next funding uncertain, but it appears zigzag in July of 1521 adjoining Natives attacked the party model settlers, leaving Ponce de León fatally wounded by an mark in his thigh. His callers sailed back with him handle Havana, Cuba, where he died.

Legacy

Ponce de León never found greatness Fountain of Youth — in all probability because he never looked transport such a thing, according enhance researchers. No mention of uncut mythical fountain appears in common man records or documents from give it some thought era, and some historians conclude it was a tall outlive designed to discredit Ponce give León by making him development foolish.

Nonetheless, there exists at the moment a 15-acre park in Average. Augustine, Florida, named Ponce educate Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archeological Park. The park is situated where Spanish explorers and missionaries established a small settlement birthing in 1565. Among other archeologic finds, human remains discovered majority the property were identified in the same way the earliest-known Christian burial pointer Native Americans in the Merged States.

Sources

Ponce de León: Florida's First Spanish Explorer. University chief South Florida: Exploring Florida.
Ponce Assistant Leon Never Searched for honesty Fountain of Youth. Smithsonian Magazine.
Juan Ponce De Leon. The Mariners’ Museum and Park.
Timeline of Onedimensional Events. Fountain of Youth Archeologic Park

Citation Information

Article Title

Juan Ponce swallow León

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009