Ponce De Leon Achievements

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Ponce De Leon lived the live any ordinary person dreams of; discover three new lands, sustain a happy marriage, have three kids, accumulate a small fortune, even die a heroic death.
Juan Ponce De Leon was born in 1460 in Santervas de Campos, Spain, into a destitute yet noble family. As a minor, he trained as a page in the court of Aragon, where he learned social skills, religion, and military tactics. As an adolescent, he trained as a knight and fought at the Moors in Granada. He was first introduced to sailing when he volunteered to accompany Christopher Columbus on his second expedition to Hispaniola in 1493 at the age of 33. He soon set out to be a Spanish explorer and was sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. When he …show more content…

Spain wanted to expand. Expanding Spanish territory had many positive aspects. They got natural resources. The Americas had lots of fresh water, vegetation, and wildlife spread out all over the continent, making it a desired home for any civilization. This also makes it a way to spread out the population. One recurring problem for all Europeans is overpopulation. By gaining all of this new land, they could settle it and bring Spaniards over to create more room in Spain. They also get fame. By consistently claiming new land all over the world, Spain and all of Europe has made themselves a strong, sturdy reputation overseas. Their power to conquer the natives gives them an advantage above all local tribes in the area, and other places (as far as we know) aren’t as advanced...except for Portugal. They also want to get gold. Money and wealth have always been a huge part of Spanish life. Money is equal to happiness in their eyes. Which is why all of this new found riches keep the Spanish coming back to the Americas to collect more. Ponce De Leon also had some goals for his explorations. He wanted to get rich. Finding new land for Spain gave him a profitable amount of wealth which is the main reason people set out to become explorers. He also wants fame. He wants to be in the books, known by all, admired even. By achieving this he also gets power. As you will read later, Ponce De Leon becomes the governor of …show more content…

From 1500-1508 he built successful settlements in Hispaniola (now Haiti and Dominican Republic) with Christopher Columbus. In 1504 he became governor of the eastern part and held the position for three years. In 1507 he sailed back to Spain, where married a woman named Lenora and had three children. In 1508 he traveled to Puerto Rico to search for riches. Once he found enough gold, he went back to Hispaniola to meet his family. He and his family soon went back to Puerto Rico (borinquen at the time) to settle it further. Ponce De Leon was then named governor and held the position for one year. He was thrown from the position by Diego Columbus, Christopher Columbus’ son, and lived in a small house with his family for three years. In 1512, King Ferdinand sent him out to search for an island called Bimini (now part of the Bahamas) to search for more gold. Rumors say that he was also looking for the Fountain of Youth, which some said was hidden there. Ponce De Leon also struck a deal with the king. The deal was any uninhabited place he found, he would become governor of. In March, 1513, Ponce De Leon led the expedition to Bimini from Puerto Rico with 200 men and one ship. A month later in April 1513, Ponce De Leon sighted land. He knew he didn’t find Bimini but thought it was just another island instead of Americas mainland. Since it was mid-spring, he decided to name it La Florida, meaning “flowery”, because

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