Juan Ponce De Leon Essay

Juan Ponce de Leon was born in 1460 in San Seravas, Spain. He was born into Spanish nobility but he and his family were not wealthy, which is unusual for noble families. He then went on to become a knight where he sought fame and fortune. He was given high class education in fighting, manners, and religion while he was serving another knight named Pedro Nunez de Guzman. He would later help in the fight against the Muslim, kingdom Granada in southern Spain. After the war, there was no need for military services. Ponce de Leon began his exploration career. When Christopher Columbus announced he was going to sail again to the new world, Ponce de Leon took this opportunity, and sailed with him.

When he arrived in Hispaniola in 1500, Ponce

de Leon built large settlements of colonists. There, he helped start farms and construct defenses in hope of establishing a new colony. His efforts, however, did pay off. He prospered by selling livestock and produce to Spanish ships returning from Spain. After helping a native Carib uprising in Hispaniola, Ponce de Leon was then officially named governor of the eastern part of the country in 1504. When he returned to Spain he married and eventually had three children.
Once Ponce de Leon returned to Spain he was eager to go and explore more lands. Hearing reports of gold on the island of Puerto Rico, the King and Queen of Spain authorized Ponce de Leon to sail to and explore the island in 1508. Some accounts speculate that he may have explored the area two years before being granted permission by The Crown. He took a single ship and fifty soldiers to go with him to settle near what is now San Juan, Puerto Rico. One year later, he returned back to Hispaniola, with gold from his endeavor. The expedition was a great success and he was named governor of Puerto Rico.
The Spanish Crown had instructed Ponce de Leon to continue the settlement on the island and to step up gold mining efforts. He then returned to Puerto Rico with his wife and three children. Similar to his work in Hispaniola, he established a very successful settlement with a vast amount of slaves as laborers. Some historical accounts say that he was nonviolent to the natives, but the overall effect of enslaving the native Tainos, and the introduction to many diseases like smallpox and measles, was devastating to the native population. De Leon reported to the Crown “The mines are running well, though war is no help since every day more caciques rebel and refuse to go to work. The Caribs have always been bad for this island.” In 1509, as a result of political fight between the Spanish Crown and the son of Christopher Columbus, Ponce de Leon lost his governorship privileges of Puerto Rico.
Though the Spanish crown had given some help to Ponce de Leon’s rivals, but King Ferdinand had heard of his accomplishments and rewarded him.

In 1512, the king had encouraged Ponce de Leon to continue searching for new lands in great hopes of finding mass amounts of gold and expanding the Spanish empire. Ponce immediately accepted the instructions. He then was told of an Island known as Bimini located in the Caribbean. It was rumored had a mythical fountain which gave the person who drank from it eternal youth. This fountain is more commonly known as the Fountain of Youth. The fable was well known in Europe and many thought that the spring was located in the Garden of Eden, which was often believed to be located in Asia. (early European Spaniards believed America to be Asia.) Though the fountain of youth is believed to be Ponce de Leon’s most motivating force behind the expedition, he was able to strike a deal with the Spanish Crown to fund this expedition, which was personally very lucrative.. He would then hold exclusive rights and be declared governor of every land he came across. Interestingly though, there was no mention of a Fountain of Youth in any of the Crown’s

Orders.
In March, 1513 Ponce de Leon led another expedition, and this time at his own expense.

His fleet consisted of just three ships, with over two-hundred men which would sail to Bimini from Puerto Rico. In one month’s time, he and his men landed on the east coast of what is known today as Florida. Not realizing he was on the mainland of America, he thought he had landed on a large island. He named the region Florida because he discovered it around Easter and named it Pascua de Florida which is Spanish “for feast of flowers”. He named it this because of its vegetation. During this expedition he recorded, “Among my services I have discovered at my own cost and expense, the Island La Florida, and others in its district, that have not been mentioned as they are small and inconsequential.” Though often considered as the explorer who discovered Florida, Ponce de Leon merely landed on an area that was already inhabited. In addition, he was not the first European to explore this area. Spanish slave expeditions to the Bahamas were frequent, and for years had wreaked havoc. There is also evidence that some of those expeditions may have reached as far as

Florida.
Once Ponce de Leon returned to Puerto Rico he found the island in Chaos. A rival tribe called the Caribs had burned the settlement to the ground and killed dozens of Spaniards. His own house was destroyed but fortunately his family escaped unharmed.
In 1514 Ponce de Leon returned to Spain and he was able to report what he had discovered. He was then named governor of Bimini Florida and then given permission to colonize those regions for the Spanish Empire. The Spanish Crown also ordered him to gather a small army to subdue the uprising natives in Puerto Rico. He left with a small fleet in May, 1515. Historical accounts that state his encounters with the Caribs on Puerto Rico are vague, but it seems that there were a series of military engagements with no clear outcome. He then broke off all hostilities when he found out his major supporter, King Ferdinand had died in Spain, and he quickly returned to protect his claims and titles. After two years, he finally received assurances that his financial empire was secure and once again, he returned to Puerto Rico.
In February, 1521, Ponce de Leon left Puerto Rico for Florida. Records of the trips are scarce, but some accounts describe it as a very unorganized. The expedition landed on the western side of the Florida peninsula where the group was attacked by the Calusa Warriors. Ponce de Leon was fatally wounded, possibly by a poisonous arrow to the thigh. They then sailed back to Cuba to where he soon died in July, 1521.
Learning about Ponce de Leon changes the way we may view the areas he explored, colonized, and fought all in the name of Spain. He is remembered today for his search of the mythical Fountain of Youth yet of all his adventures had far more of an impact on lands, people, and cultures.