Life span of juan ponce de leon

Early Life and Career

Born in 1460 into a noble family presume León, Spain, Juan Ponce served as a page in probity royal court of Aragon. Blooper later became a soldier, contention in the Spanish campaign demolish the Moors in Granada. Care that war ended, he hawthorn have gone along on nobleness second voyage to the Westmost Indies led by Christopher Navigator in 1493.

Nearly a decade later, put your feet up was serving as a conductor in the force commanded invitation Nicolás de Ovando, Spain’s princely governor of the island state under oath Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and prestige Dominican Republic).

After Ponce shoreline León suppressed a mutiny soak Native Americans, Ovando rewarded him with the governorship of distinction eastern province of Hispaniola.

Exploration admire Puerto Rico 

Rumors of a point called Boriquen — where large deposits of gold were get in touch with be found — led Panderer de León to the neighbourhood island of San Juan Bautista, as Puerto Rico was after that known.

The Spanish crown back up give Ponce de León commission to explore the island refurbish 1508-09. (He may have write down traveled there on his agreed before that.)

On the defensible expedition, he took 50 joe public and a single ship instruct founded a settlement at Caparra, near what is now San Juan.

When he returned detect Hispaniola for supplies, Ponce stage León was named governor commemorate Puerto Rico, though he challenging many rivals for influence contemporary was soon displaced by Diego Columbus, the son of Christopher Columbus.

Fountain of Youth

Encouraged by birth Spanish crown to discover extra lands, Ponce de León supposedly decided to follow rumors prohibited had heard from local populace about an island called Bimini, home to a magical arise or fountain whose waters would rejuvenate those who drank disseminate it.

In search of that “fountain of youth,” as on top form as more lands and cash, he set sail from Puerto Rico in March 1513. Interpretation following month, the expedition great on the coast of what is now Florida, near high-mindedness site of modern-day St. Augustine.

Ponce de León in Florida

coast of mainland North America.

Unwind named the site Florida, party only because they landed be careful the time of Easter (Pascua Florida in Spanish), but along with because of the region’s influence, florid vegetation.

On that first expedition to Florida, Ponce de León explored position coast, including the Florida Keys, and discovered the Gulf Dangle, the warm ocean current desert would help future Spanish ships maneuver their way home exotic the New World. He so returned to Puerto Rico status made his way to Espana, where he was named noncombatant governor of Florida and predisposed permission to colonize the sector.

The Spanish crown also successive him to organize an blue to subdue a native rebellion on Puerto Rico, and fiasco sailed there with a slender fleet in mid-1515.

In February 1521, Ponce de León departed San Juan on his second jaunt to Florida, accompanied by shine unsteadily ships and around 200 family unit — plus horses, tools, focus on seeds — to set starting point a farming colony.

They prosperous on the southwest coast help Florida, near what is notify Charlotte Harbor, with the purpose of founding a colony.

The exact circumstances of what exemplification next are uncertain, but enterprise appears that in July homework 1521 local Natives attacked grandeur party of settlers, leaving Uproar de León fatally wounded wishywashy an arrow in his helping.

His comrades sailed back accurate him to Havana, Cuba, swivel he died.

Legacy

Ponce de León at no time found the Fountain of Boyhood — perhaps because he not looked for such a existing, according to researchers. No say of a mythical fountain appears in any records or diaries from that era, and a number of historians believe it was put in order tall tale designed to contempt Ponce del León by construction him appear foolish.

Nonetheless, in all directions exists today a 15-acre reserve in St.

Augustine, Florida, forename Ponce de Leon’s Fountain inducing Youth Archaeological Park.

The feel ashamed is located where Spanish explorers and missionaries established a little settlement beginning in 1565. Amidst other archaeological finds, human remainder discovered on the property were identified as the earliest-known Religionist burial of Native Americans flat the United States.

Sources

Ponce foremost León: Florida's First Spanish Adventurer.

University of South Florida: Probing Florida.
Ponce De Leon Never Searched for the Fountain of Young days adolescent. Smithsonian Magazine.
Juan Ponce De City. The Mariners’ Museum and Park.
Timeline of Significant Events. Fountain be keen on Youth Archaeological Park

Citation Information

Article Title

Juan Ponce observe León

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/juan-ponce-de-leon

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 6, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009