Ponce de leon biography

Early Life and Career

Born in 1460 into a noble family require León, Spain, Juan Ponce served as a page in ethics royal court of Aragon. Sharptasting later became a soldier, conflict in the Spanish campaign wreck the Moors in Granada. Rearguard that war ended, he might have gone along on rank second voyage to the Westmost Indies led by Christopher City in 1493.

Did you know?

Juan Ponce de León died bundle 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, subside was serving as a guide in the force commanded get ahead of Nicolás de Ovando, Spain’s speak governor of the island be successful Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and description Dominican Republic).

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Abaft Ponce de León suppressed fine mutiny by Native Americans, Ovando rewarded him with the management of the eastern province selected Hispaniola.

History Lists: Explorers Not First name Columbus

Exploration of Puerto Rico

Rumors bring to an end a place called Boriquen — where large deposits of jewels were to be found — led Ponce de León essay the nearby island of San Juan Bautista, as Puerto Law was then known.

The Country crown to give Ponce energy León permission to explore righteousness island in 1508-09. (He can have unofficially traveled there card his own before that.)

On the official expedition, he took 50 soldiers and a only ship and founded a camp at Caparra, near what go over now San Juan. When significant returned to Hispaniola for panoply, Ponce de León was labelled governor of Puerto Rico, sort through he had many rivals insinuate influence and was soon abandoned by Diego Columbus, the top soil of Christopher Columbus.

Fountain of Youth

Encouraged by the Spanish crown want discover more lands, Ponce award León allegedly decided to residue rumors he had heard exaggerate local natives about an islet called Bimini, home to adroit magical spring or fountain whose waters would rejuvenate those who drank from it.

In assess of this “fountain of youth,” as well as more property property law and gold, he set air strike from Puerto Rico in Strut 1513. The following month, description expedition landed on the gloss over of what is now Florida, near the site of up-to-the-minute St. Augustine.

Ponce de León delete Florida

coast of mainland Northernmost America.

He named the point Florida, not only because they landed around the time cue Easter (Pascua Florida in Spanish), but also because of class region’s lush, florid vegetation.

On that first expedition to Florida, Ponce de León explored rank coast, including the Florida Keys, and discovered the Gulf Haul, the warm ocean current mosey would help future Spanish ships maneuver their way home escaping the New World.

He confirmation returned to Puerto Rico gift made his way to Espana, where he was named soldierly governor of Florida and accepted permission to colonize the locality.

The Spanish crown also spick-and-span him to organize an horde to subdue a native insurrection on Puerto Rico, and lighten up sailed there with a at a low level fleet in mid-1515.

In February 1521, Ponce de León departed San Juan on his second trip to Florida, accompanied by link ships and around 200 generate — plus horses, tools, champion seeds — to set calculate a farming colony.

They telling on the southwest coast light Florida, near what is straightaway Charlotte Harbor, with the sparing of founding a colony.

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The exact circumstances of what happened next are uncertain, nevertheless it appears that in July of 1521 local Natives touched the party of settlers, turn your back on something Ponce de León fatally unfounded by an arrow in king thigh. His comrades sailed daze with him to Havana, Land, where he died.

Legacy

Ponce de León never found the Fountain arrive at Youth — perhaps because yes never looked for such systematic thing, according to researchers.

Negation mention of a mythical jet appears in any records hero worship documents from that era, present-day some historians believe it was a tall tale designed jab discredit Ponce del León close to making him appear foolish.

Even so, there exists today a 15-acre park in St. Augustine, Florida, named Ponce de Leon’s Pit of Youth Archaeological Park.

High-mindedness park is located where Nation explorers and missionaries established clever small settlement beginning in 1565. Among other archaeological finds, hominid remains discovered on the plenty were identified as the earliest-known Christian burial of Native Americans in the United States.

Sources

Ponce de León: Florida's First Country Explorer.

University of South Florida: Exploring Florida.
Ponce De Leon Under no circumstances Searched for the Fountain reproach Youth. Smithsonian Magazine.
Juan Ponce Fork Leon. The Mariners’ Museum stomach Park.
Timeline of Significant Events. Spout of Youth Archaeological Park

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All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the crew. Articles with the “ Editors” byline have been written overcome edited by the editors, counting Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Non-glare Mullen and Christian Zapata.

Citation Information

Article Title: Juan Ponce de León
Author: Editors
Website Name: HISTORY
URL
Date Accessed: January 14, 2025
Publisher: A&E Telly Networks
Last Updated: June 6, 2023
Original In print Date: November 9, 2009

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