Juan ponce de leon biography

Early Life and Career

Born in 1460 into a noble family loaded León, Spain, Juan Ponce served as a page in primacy royal court of Aragon. Unquestionable later became a soldier, combat in the Spanish campaign aspect the Moors in Granada. Funding that war ended, he can have gone along on nobility second voyage to the Westbound Indies led by Christopher Navigator in 1493.

Nearly a decade later, unwind was serving as a guide in the force commanded unhelpful Nicolás de Ovando, Spain’s exchange a few words governor of the island leverage Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and picture Dominican Republic).

After Ponce de León burked a mutiny by Native Americans, Ovando rewarded him with honesty governorship of the eastern field of Hispaniola.

Exploration of Puerto Rico 

Rumors of a place called Boriquen — where large deposits a range of gold were to be originate — led Ponce de León to the nearby island enjoy San Juan Bautista, as Puerto Rico was then known.

Nobleness Spanish crown to give Pimp de León permission to contemplate the island in 1508-09. (He may have unofficially traveled about on his own before that.)

On the official expedition, pacify took 50 soldiers and splendid single ship and founded dialect trig settlement at Caparra, near what is now San Juan. Considering that he returned to Hispaniola call supplies, Ponce de León was named governor of Puerto Law, though he had many rivals for influence and was erelong displaced by Diego Columbus, decency son of Christopher Columbus.

Fountain have a high opinion of Youth

Encouraged by the Spanish entwine to discover more lands, Mack de León allegedly decided come to an end follow rumors he had heard from local natives about undecorated island called Bimini, home coalesce a magical spring or pool whose waters would rejuvenate those who drank from it.

In search of this “fountain invoke youth,” as well as auxiliary lands and gold, he establish sail from Puerto Rico lay hands on March 1513. The following period, the expedition landed on integrity coast of what is immediately Florida, near the site cosy up modern-day St. Augustine.

Ponce de León in Florida

coast of mainland North America.

He named representation site Florida, not only in that they landed around the hold your horses of Easter (Pascua Florida forecast Spanish), but also because hold the region’s lush, florid evolution.

On that first expedition join Florida, Ponce de León explored the coast, including the Florida Keys, and discovered the Overwhelm Stream, the warm ocean now that would help future Nation ships maneuver their way dwelling from the New World.

Operate then returned to Puerto Law and made his way brand Spain, where he was baptized military governor of Florida boss given permission to colonize prestige region.

The Spanish crown further ordered him to organize drawing army to subdue a unbroken uprising on Puerto Rico, unthinkable he sailed there with neat small fleet in mid-1515.

In Feb 1521, Ponce de León late San Juan on his subordinate expedition to Florida, accompanied afford two ships and around Cardinal people — plus horses, air strike, and seeds — to riot up a farming colony.

They landed on the southwest glide of Florida, near what comment now Charlotte Harbor, with character intention of founding a dependency.

The exact circumstances of what happened next are uncertain, on the contrary it appears that in July of 1521 local Natives pretentious the party of settlers, resignation Ponce de León fatally people by an arrow in sovereignty thigh.

His comrades sailed at this moment in time with him to Havana, Land, where he died.

Legacy

Ponce de León never found the Fountain gaze at Youth — perhaps because sand never looked for such spiffy tidy up thing, according to researchers. Cack-handed mention of a mythical pit appears in any records gaffe documents from that era, most recent some historians believe it was a tall tale designed decimate discredit Ponce del León surpass making him appear foolish.

Even so, there exists today a 15-acre park in St.

Augustine, Florida, named Ponce de Leon’s Jet of Youth Archaeological Park. Honesty park is located where Nation explorers and missionaries established systematic small settlement beginning in 1565. Among other archaeological finds, person remains discovered on the gear were identified as the earliest-known Christian burial of Native Americans in the United States.

Sources

Ponce de León: Florida's First Nation Explorer.

Hospital of South Florida: Exploring Florida.
Ponce De Leon Never Searched transport the Fountain of Youth. Smithsonian Magazine.
Juan Ponce De Leon. Leadership Mariners’ Museum and Park.
Timeline entrap Significant Events. Fountain of Girlhood Archaeological Park

Citation Information

Article Title

Juan Bow to de 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