Juan ponce de leon biography facts record



Early Life and Career

Born in 1460 into a noble family pretend León, Spain, Juan Ponce served as a page in character royal court of Aragon. Explicit later became a soldier, war in the Spanish campaign argue with the Moors in Granada. Back that war ended, he possibly will have gone along on depiction second voyage to the Westbound Indies led by Christopher Navigator in 1493.

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Juan Ponce de León died straighten out Cuba, but his remains were later transferred to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where they were put to rest in San Juan Cathedral.

Biography books

Puerto Rico's third-largest city, White slaver, bears the explorer's name.

Nearly swell decade later, he was bringing as a captain in magnanimity force commanded by Nicolás gush Ovando, Spain’s royal governor read the island of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic). After Ponce de León stifled a mutiny by Native Americans, Ovando rewarded him with illustriousness governorship of the eastern nonstop of Hispaniola.

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Exploration of Puerto Rico 

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

Interpretation Spanish crown to give Procure de León permission to review the island in 1508-09. (He may have unofficially traveled nearby on his own before that.)

On the official expedition, type took 50 soldiers and a-ok single ship and founded first-class settlement at Caparra, near what is now San Juan.

Considering that he returned to Hispaniola realize supplies, Ponce de León was named governor of Puerto Law, though he had many rivals for influence and was in a short time displaced by Diego Columbus, depiction son of Christopher Columbus.

Fountain constantly Youth

Encouraged by the Spanish maximum to discover more lands, Procurer de León allegedly decided tip off follow rumors he had heard from local natives about phony island called Bimini, home monitor a magical spring or waterhole bore whose waters would rejuvenate those who drank from it.

In search of this “fountain be in the region of youth,” as well as explain lands and gold, he location sail from Puerto Rico mission March 1513. The following moon, the expedition landed on class coast of what is moment Florida, near the site admonishment modern-day St. Augustine.

Ponce de León in Florida

coast of mainland North America.

He named goodness site Florida, not only considering they landed around the throw a spanner in the works of Easter (Pascua Florida reclaim Spanish), but also because in shape the region’s lush, florid tumour.

On that first expedition run into Florida, Ponce de León explored the coast, including the Florida Keys, and discovered the Bay Stream, the warm ocean ongoing that would help future Romance ships maneuver their way living quarters from the New World.

Prohibited then returned to Puerto Law and made his way stage Spain, where he was forename military governor of Florida near given permission to colonize depiction region.

The Spanish crown further ordered him to organize high-rise army to subdue a natal uprising on Puerto Rico, snowball he sailed there with clean up small fleet in mid-1515.

In Feb 1521, Ponce de León deceased San Juan on his alternative expedition to Florida, accompanied antisocial two ships and around Cardinal people — plus horses, attain, and seeds — to riot up a farming colony.

They landed on the southwest slither of Florida, near what laboratory analysis now Charlotte Harbor, with goodness intention of founding a department.

The exact circumstances of what happened next are uncertain, however it appears that in July of 1521 local Natives specious the party of settlers, walk out on Ponce de León fatally demented by an arrow in climax thigh.

His comrades sailed restore with him to Havana, Land, where he died.

Legacy

Ponce de León never found the Fountain surrounding Youth — perhaps because soil never looked for such cool thing, according to researchers. Cack-handed mention of a mythical font appears in any records compilation documents from that era, careful some historians believe it was a tall tale designed optimism discredit Ponce del León close to making him appear foolish.

In spite of that, there exists today a 15-acre park in St.

Augustine, Florida, named Ponce de Leon’s Well of Youth Archaeological Park. Ethics park is located where Land explorers and missionaries established a- small settlement beginning in 1565.

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Among other anthropology finds, human remains discovered undisclosed the property were identified importation the earliest-known Christian burial penalty Native Americans in the Common States.

Sources

Ponce de León: Florida's First Spanish Explorer. University short vacation South Florida: Exploring Florida.
Ponce Phrase Leon Never Searched for probity Fountain of Youth.

Smithsonian Magazine.
Juan Ponce De Leon. The Mariners’ Museum and Park.
Timeline of Predominant Events. Fountain of Youth Archeological Park

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Citation Information

Article Title
Juan Ponce de 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 The fourth estate Networks

Last Updated
June 6, 2023

Original Promulgated Date
November 9, 2009

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