What did Juan Ponce de León do in 1513?
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.
How long was Juan Ponce de León’s voyage?
For six weeks he skirted the coastline southward past Cape Canaveral, Palm Beach, and Biscayne Bay to the Keys and Tortugas. He then coasted up the west side of the peninsula as far as the modern city of Naples before turning back to Puerto Rico, where he arrived on September 21, 1513.
Where did Juan Ponce de León travel?
Puerto Rico
Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer who traveled around Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Florida. He is credited with establishing a European settlement in Puerto Rico, being the first European to reach Florida, giving the land its name.
What did Ponce de Leon find?
Fountain of Youth
The Spanish explorer was searching for the “Fountain of Youth,” a fabled water source that was said to bring eternal youth. Ponce de León named the peninsula he believed to be an island “La Florida” because his discovery came during the time of the Easter feast, or Pascua Florida.
When was Ponce de Leon’s first voyage?
March 1513
In March 1513, Ponce de León led an expedition, at his own expense, of three ships and more than 200 men to Bimini from Puerto Rico. In a month’s time, he and his men landed on the east coast of Florida.
When did Juan Ponce de Leon became a soldier?
He is most famous for his search for the legendary Fountain of Youth and other riches. Born in Santervas, Spain, in about 1460, Ponce de Leon grew up to become a soldier and was fighting Muslims in southern Spain in the early 1490s.
What is an interesting fact about Juan Ponce de Leon?
Interesting Juan Ponce de Leon Facts: Juan Ponce de Leon is believed to be the first European to set foot on Florida’s land. When Christopher Columbus returned to Spain following his second voyage to the New World, Juan Ponce de Leon stayed behind. He became the governor of Higuey, a Dominican province.
Why did Ponce de Leon want to find the Fountain of Youth?
No original documents survive from Ponce de Leon’s Florida expedition. There is one theory that Spanish historians, writing long after he died in 1521, may have created the story that he was seeking the fountain to make fun of him because he was an old man who wanted to restore his sexual vigor, Smith says.
Why did Ponce de Leon think he found the Fountain of Youth?
In 1535 Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, a Spanish historian and writer, accused Ponce de León of seeking the fountain in order to cure his sexual impotence. This, however, was highly unlikely as de Leon had fathered several children and was under 40 years old at the time of his first expedition.
What country did Juan Ponce de Leon explore for?
Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish conquistador and explorer, best remembered for settling the island of Puerto Rico and for directing the first major explorations of Florida. He made two trips to Florida: one in 1513 and the second in 1521. It was on this latter expedition that he was wounded by natives…
Did Juan Ponce de Leon 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. The expedition of Juan Ponce de León searching for the Fountain of Youth in Florida in 1513. Learn more about Florida and its geography, people, economy, and history.
What was the first voyage of Christopher Ponce in Florida?
First Florida Voyage. On March 13, 1513, Ponce set sail from Puerto Rico in search of Bimini. He had three ships and about 65 men. Sailing northwest, on April 2nd they spotted what they took for a large island: Ponce named it “Florida” because it was Easter season, referred to as “Pascua Florida” in Spanish.
What is the legacy of Ponce de Leon in Florida?
Legacy of Ponce de Leon’s Florida Voyages. Ponce de León was a trailblazer who opened the southeastern US to exploration by the Spanish. His well-publicized Florida voyages would eventually lead to a number of expeditions there, including the disastrous 1528 trip led by the unlucky Pánfilo de Narvaez.