JUAN PONCE DE LEON
|
Juan Ponce de León was born in 1474 in the village of Santervas de Campos in the northern part of Spain. The identity of Juan’s parents is not known, however he seems to have been from a noble family. Juan was not able to serve in the military in Spain, and so Juan set his sights on becoming an explorer. Some stories suggest that he wanted to become an explorer because he wanted to find the fountain of youth. However, this is not substantiated by hard evidence.
Juan moved abroad, and in 1493, he joined Christopher Columbus and many other sailors for a voyage to the New World. The fleet explored large areas of the Caribbean. Juan returned to Spain and worked as a land owner in charge of large numbers of Indian slaves. He was successful in this role and produced lots of produce to sell at markets. He married Leonora, the local inn keeper’s daughter. |
Juan Ponce de León
|
Juan went on another voyage back to areas that he visited in his first expedition. On this trip he went back to Puerto Rico and looked into gold mining. The expedition lasted about 2 years and during the trip he and his men collected lots of gold. When Juan returned to Spain he was appointed as governor of San Juan Bautista. As part of the appointment Juan had to return back to Puerto Rico in order to extend the settlement, populate the island and continue mining for gold. He remained in Puerto Rico for 2 years with his wife and children and Juan was appointed as the first Governor of Puerto Rico by the Spanish crown.
In Spain, Juan heard of undiscovered islands. He wanted to go and explore and he was urged to explore by members of Spanish authority. In 1512 Juan set off and his journey lasted three years. On the exhibition he came across lots of Native Americans and traded with them. He also discovered a number of islands, and locations that were thought to never have been explored by Europeans. During this expedition it is thought that he led the first known European expedition to La Florida, which he also named. He returned to Spain in 1515.
Juan travelled back to Florida in 1521 in order to try and establish a Spanish colony. However, the colonization was not liked by the native people and there was a skirmish. As a result, the colonization was abandoned. Juan died from injuries he sustained during the skirmish in July 1521. Juan was interred in Puerto Rico, and his tomb is located inside of the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista in San Juan.
In Spain, Juan heard of undiscovered islands. He wanted to go and explore and he was urged to explore by members of Spanish authority. In 1512 Juan set off and his journey lasted three years. On the exhibition he came across lots of Native Americans and traded with them. He also discovered a number of islands, and locations that were thought to never have been explored by Europeans. During this expedition it is thought that he led the first known European expedition to La Florida, which he also named. He returned to Spain in 1515.
Juan travelled back to Florida in 1521 in order to try and establish a Spanish colony. However, the colonization was not liked by the native people and there was a skirmish. As a result, the colonization was abandoned. Juan died from injuries he sustained during the skirmish in July 1521. Juan was interred in Puerto Rico, and his tomb is located inside of the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista in San Juan.