| Juan
Ponce de Leon was born in a northern Spanish village in 1460. His
family had ties to the Spanish elite, and as a boy Ponce de Leon served
as a page in the house of a nobleman. Later he joined the army and fought
for the Spanish crown in its wars against the Moors of Granada.
Ponce de Leon's fascination
with exploring new lands was inspired by Christopher Columbus's voyage
to the Americas in 1492. In fact, many historians think that he was part
of Columbus's second expedition across the Atlantic in 1493. In 1502 Ponce
de Leon sailed to the West Indian island of Hispaniola, where he played
a key role in containing a native uprising against Spanish rule. As a reward
for his service, the Spanish governor of Hispaniola placed Ponce de Leon
in charge of the eastern part of the island, where he built a large plantation.
While Ponce de Leon was
in Hispaniola, local natives told him that
there were large amounts of gold to be found on a nearby island called
Boriquen, or Puerto Rico. He sailed to the islandin 1508, where he found
some gold and established a small settlement. In 1509 Ponce de Leon became
the Spanish governor of Puerto Rico until 1512. During this time, he established
an encomienda system of government on the
island. In this system, Ponce de Leon granted authority over groups of
native villages to individual Spaniards. The villages, in turn, were required
to provide labor to their Spanish overseers.
Ponce de Leon's success
in Puerto Rico made him even more eager to explore new lands. In February
1512 he received a commission from King Ferdinand to discover and colonize
the island of Bimini. While no European had ever been to this mythical
place, Indians in Puerto Rico claimed that it contained much gold and a
special spring that made those who drank from it feel healthy and youthful.
Ponce de Leon set sail for
Bimini and the Fountain of Youth in March
1513. The following month, he anchored his ship on the coast of a large
land mass. Ponce de Leon thought that he had discovered a new island, and
named it Florida because he had found it during
the Easter season and because it was full of beautiful plant life. (The
Spanish phrase pascua florida means Easter, or season of flowers.) He spent
the next several months exploring the Florida coastline and continuing
his search for Bimini. He returned to Puerto Rico in October, disappointed
that he had been unable to find the island or its Fountain of Youth. The
following year Ponce de Leon traveled to Spain, where the King granted
him permission to settle in Florida.
After several more years
in Puerto Rico, Ponce de Leon left for Florida with two ships and 200 men
in early 1521. Shortly after landing on Florida's west coast, they were
attacked by Seminole Indians. Ponce de Leon was struck by an arrow during
the attack and was immediately taken to Cuba, where he died. He was buried
in Puerto Rico. |