2. Juan ponce de León discovered Florida while looking for the
fountain of youth. He asked permission to explore the island Bimini
where the fountain was supposed to be. He landed in Florida and
saw many flowers and named it Florida (Spanish word: flowers.).
3. Born in Spain in 1460, Juan Ponce de León led a European expedition to discover the mythical
fountain of youth, instead finding the southeast coast of what would become the United States. He
gave Florida its name and went on to become the first governor of Puerto Rico
Hearing persistent reports of gold to be found on nearby Puerto Rico, in 1508 Ponce de León was
officially sent by the Spanish crown to explore the island (there are account of him unofficially
exploring it up to two years earlier on his own). He took 50 soldiers with him on a single ship and
explored the island, settling near what is now San Juan. A year later, he returned to
Hispaniola, having found much gold but running short on supplies, and was named governor of
Puerto Rico. The expedition was seen as a great success, and Ponce de León was instructed to
continue the settlement of the island and step up his gold-mining efforts. So he returned to Puerto
Rico, this time bringing his wife and children along. Accounts of the battle that ensued after his
arrival are spotty, but in 1521, Ponce de León sailed again for Florida with two ships and 200
men, intent on settling the land. This time, though, he was wounded by an arrow during an Indian
attack, after which he and his colonists sailed to Cuba, where he soon died of the wound.
Juan ponce de León's tomb
4. Born into a noble family, Juan Ponce de León became a soldier, fighting in a notable
campaign against the Moors in Granada. By various accounts, he began his exploration
career as part of Christopher Columbus' second expedition to the New World
(1493), after the war with the Moors ended.
Juan Ponce de León was the first Spanish explorer to arrive in Florida. Early Spanish
explorers were known as conquistadors (kahn-KEYS-ta-dawrz) or "conquerors."
While there are no official records, historians believe that Ponce de León was born in
1460 in San Tervas de Campos, Spain.
