See more
Why is Juan Ponce de León famous?
Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer. In 1508–09 he explored and settled Puerto Rico, founding the colony’s oldest settlement, Caparra, near w...
What did Juan Ponce de León discover?
Juan Ponce de León is credited with being the first European to reach Florida. In April 1513 he landed on the coast of Florida at a site between Sa...
How did Juan Ponce de León die?
In 1521 Juan Ponce de León sailed to Florida with two ships and 200 men and landed near Charlotte Harbor. There he was wounded by an arrow during a...
Who was the governor of Hispaniola in 1502?
Hearing persistent reports of gold to be found on Puerto Rico, Ponce de León in 1508–09 explored ...
Who was the first person to search for the Fountain of Youth?
Although the quest for this fabled site might have been a contributing influence to Ponce de León’s explorations, modern scholarship suggests that it was not the primary motive. Juan Ponce de León. The expedition of Juan Ponce de León searching for the Fountain of Youth in Florida in 1513. North Wind Picture Archives/Alamy.
What was Juan Ponce de Leon's career?
Ponce de León in Florida. Born into Spanish nobility, Juan Ponce de León (1460-1521) may have accompanied Christopher Columbus on his 1493 voyage to the Americas. A decade later, he was serving as governor of the eastern province ...
What happened to Ponce de Leon?
The exact circumstances of what happened next are uncertain, but it appears that in early July local Natives attacked the party of settlers, leaving Ponce de León fatally wounded by an arrow in his thigh. His comrades sailed back with him to Havana, Cuba, where he died. pinterest-pin-it.
Where did Ponce de Leon find gold?
Rumors of large amounts of gold to be found on the nearby island of San Juan Bautista (as Puerto Rico was then known) drove the Spanish crown to give Ponce de León permission to explore the island in 1508-09. (He may have unofficially traveled there on his own before that.) On the official expedition, he took 50 soldiers and a single ship and founded a settlement at Caparra, near what is now San Juan. When he returned to Hispaniola for supplies, Ponce de León was named governor of Puerto Rico, though he had many rivals for influence and was soon displaced.
Why was Ponce de Leon named Florida?
He named the site Florida, not only because they landed around the time of Easter (Pascua Florida in Spanish), but also in honor of the region’s lush and florid vegetation.
Where was Juan Ponce born?
Born in 1460 into a noble family in León , Spain, Juan Ponce served as a page in the royal court of Aragon. He later became a soldier, fighting in the Spanish campaign against the Moors in Granada. After that war ended, he may have gone along on the second voyage to the West Indies led by Christopher Columbus in 1493.
Where did Juan Ponce de Leon die?
Juan Ponce de León died in 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, he was serving as a captain in the force commanded by Nicolás de Ovando, ...
Who was the first Spanish explorer to visit the Americas?
Born into Spanish nobility, Juan Ponce de León (1460-1521) may have accompanied Christopher Columbus on his 1493 voyage to the Americas. A decade later, he was serving as governor of the eastern province of Hispaniola when he decided to explore a nearby island, which became Puerto Rico. In pursuit of a rumored fountain of youth located on an island known as Bimini, Ponce de León led an expedition to the coast of what is now Florida in 1513. Thinking it was the island he sought, he sailed back to colonize the region in 1521, but was fatally wounded in a Native American attack soon after his arrival.
What happened to Ponce de Leon when he was attacked by the Calusa?
When the Calusa attacked, Ponce de Leon was hit with an arrow and suffered a mortal wound.
Why did Ponce de Leon name his land La Florida?
The holiday and the natural beauty of the land prompted him to name it La Florida. But hundreds of tribes and thousands of villages already existed in Florida. Ponce de Leon twice encountered indigenous people on the east coast, where he likely took captives to serve as guides and to get information, Milanich said.
Which tribe was the only one to play a documented role in the history of the Southwest?
The only identifiable tribe that played a documented role was the Calusa , a now-extinct tribe that Ponce de Leon encountered on the southwest coast. “It must have been a spectacular town,” Milanich said of the Calusa village. “Canals led into the center of town. You could get on a canoe and go into the village.”.
What tribe was hostile to European explorers and settlers?
History accounts claim the tribe was hostile toward European explorers and settlers, said Willie Johns, a historian for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The tribe had a chief, a complex government and a warrior class, and it thwarted Ponce de Leon’s efforts to infiltrate.
When did Juan Ponce de Leon land in Florida?
On April 2 , 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the southeastern coast of Florida, claiming the territory for the Spanish crown. This Date in Native History: On April 2 , 1513 , Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the southeastern coast of Florida, claiming the territory for the Spanish crown and forever changing life ...
When did Ponce de Leon sail north?
Believing he would find wealth—or the rumored fountain of youth —Ponce de Leon organized a crew and sailed north in March of 1513.
Who was unsuccessful in conquering the Natives?
Although Ponce de Leon was unsuccessful in conquering the Natives, his discovery led to the 16th-Century Spanish invasion, Milanich said.