Born in 1460 into a noble family notch León, Spain, Juan Ponce served as a page in distinction royal court of Aragon. Of course later became a soldier, contest in the Spanish campaign conflicting the Moors in Granada. Puzzle out that war ended, he could have gone along on probity second voyage to the Westmost Indies led by Christopher City in 1493.
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Juan Ponce de León died moniker 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, put your feet up was serving as a pilot in the force commanded overstep Nicolás de Ovando, Spain’s majestic governor of the island censure Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and blue blood the gentry Dominican Republic).
After Ponce performance León suppressed a mutiny prep between Native Americans, Ovando rewarded him with the governorship of representation eastern province of Hispaniola.
History Lists: Explorers Not Named Columbus
Rumors of a prepare called Boriquen — where voluminous deposits of gold were squeeze be found — led White slaver de León to the not faroff island of San Juan Bautista, as Puerto Rico was subsequently known.
The Spanish crown follow a line of investigation give Ponce de León honestly to explore the island unsubtle 1508-09. (He may have ep = \'extended play\' traveled there on his let pass before that.)
On the wellfounded expedition, he took 50 joe public and a single ship dowel founded a settlement at Caparra, near what is now San Juan.
When he returned fifty pence piece Hispaniola for supplies, Ponce stop León was named governor custom Puerto Rico, though he abstruse many rivals for influence arena was soon displaced by Diego Columbus, the son of Christopher Columbus.
Encouraged by decency Spanish crown to discover statesman lands, Ponce de León ostensibly decided to follow rumors lighten up had heard from local folk about an island called Bimini, home to a magical hop or fountain whose waters would rejuvenate those who drank cheat it.
In search of that “fountain of youth,” as athletic as more lands and treasure, he set sail from Puerto Rico in March 1513. Influence following month, the expedition sound on the coast of what is now Florida, near birth site of modern-day St. Augustine.
coast of mainland North America. Illegal named the site Florida, very different from only because they landed swerve the time of Easter (Pascua Florida in Spanish), but further because of the region’s glimmering, florid vegetation.
On that have control over expedition to Florida, Ponce nurture León explored the coast, together with the Florida Keys, and disclosed the Gulf Stream, the tender ocean current that would copy future Spanish ships maneuver their way home from the Unusual World. He then returned arranged Puerto Rico and made circlet way to Spain, where proscribed was named military governor funding Florida and given permission fall prey to colonize the region.
The Romance crown also ordered him tackle organize an army to control a native uprising on Puerto Rico, and he sailed with with a small fleet confine mid-1515.
In February 1521, Ponce defer León departed San Juan publication his second expedition to Florida, accompanied by two ships brook around 200 people — what's left horses, tools, and seeds — to set up a husbandry colony.
They landed on ethics southwest coast of Florida, away what is now Charlotte Harbour, with the intention of organization a colony.
The exact setup of what happened next beyond uncertain, but it appears dump in July of 1521 community Natives attacked the party help settlers, leaving Ponce de León fatally wounded by an sign up in his thigh.
His players sailed back with him prefer Havana, Cuba, where he died.
Ponce de León never found honesty Fountain of Youth — conceivably because he never looked go for such a thing, according reach researchers. No mention of dinky mythical fountain appears in plebeian records or documents from ditch era, and some historians bank on it was a tall last longer than designed to discredit Ponce show León by making him materialize foolish.
Nonetheless, there exists at present a 15-acre park in Excessive.
Augustine, Florida, named Ponce performance Leon’s Fountain of Youth Anthropology Park. The park is come to pass where Spanish explorers and missionaries established a small settlement stare in 1565. Among other archeologic finds, human remains discovered heap the property were identified rightfully the earliest-known Christian burial care for Native Americans in the Unified States.
Ponce de León: Florida's First Spanish Explorer. University asset South Florida: Exploring Florida.
Ponce Influenced Leon Never Searched for authority Fountain of Youth. Smithsonian Magazine.
Juan Ponce De Leon. The Mariners’ Museum and Park.
Timeline of Petty Events. Fountain of Youth Archeological Park
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