Ponce De Leon Essay

Ponce De Leon and His Exploration of Florida

Ponce De Leon is mostly known to be the first Spanish explorer to arrive and discover the land we know as Florida. There is more to this explorer than just his discovery, he sailed with Christopher Columbus, discovered Florida, and searched Bimi for gold and riches and is now attached to the tale of the “fountain of youth.”

In his early exploration in 1493, after the war ended against the Emirate of Granada, Leon was no longer needed for his military skills at home and he volunteered to sail with Christopher Columbus on his second journey to the West Indies where Leon chose to stay in Santo Domingo. Because of his manner and skills in fighting as a soldier, Leon attracted the attention of King

Ferdinand and was encouraged to discover more lands and search for gold. The journey with Christopher Columbus was just the beginning for this conquistador.
Islands undiscovered northwest of Hispaniola begin to arise as rumors reaching Spain in 1511. King Ferdinand urged Leon to discover if the rumors were true and search the foretold lands (Davis 8-10). The crown urged Leon to search for these islands in an effort to reward him and stop the further exploration by Colon, Columbus’s son. In 1512 the crown outlined the rights and authorities to search for “the islands of Benimy.” These rights specified that Leon held the rights to the discovery of the island and its surrounding islands for three years and he would be rewarded with being the governor for the rest of his life over the islands he discovered. However, Leon was also responsible for his own finances such as the exploration and settlement of these new lands (Davis 9).
Leon has been credited with the myth of the “Fountain of Youth” however nowhere in this was the fountain mentioned. The clear and stated instructions were that any gold found would be divided up. Historians have credited Leon with his tale not long after his death, but there is hardly any proof to support this claim. The purpose of the trip on Ferdinand’s terms was the islands would be a profitable and substantial governorship and possible source of gold. However the idea of Leon having a hidden motif during this journey has also not been proven otherwise and can be quite possible (Scisco 733).
Not funded by the crown, he was able to gather three ships: the Santiago, the San Cristobal and the Santa Maria de la Consolacion, and at least 200 men to man the vessels.

Leaving from Puerto Rico in 1513, his crew set out with chief pilot Anton de Alaminos sailing northwest following the Bahama Islands.

April 2,1513 his ships docked on the land’s east coast near what we know as St. Augustine, at this time he thought he had landed on another island. Leon declared this land in the name of Spain thereby earning the right to name the land. The attractiveness of the beautiful land with lavish greenery and beaches supported florid vegetation making this land available to support many resources and growth. Leon gave the name La Florida or “place of flowers,” to the land not only because of the scenic land but also because they landed close to the time of Easter (Davis 38).

The next day Leon and his crew ventured onto the island to take possession of the new land, however he exact location of this island has been question by many historians for several years. Most historians believe the island to be at St. Augustine, however other speculate it was located further south near what we know as Melbourne Beach (Davis

10).
“The latitude coordinate recorded by the ships log was reported by historian, Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas, was 30 degrees, 8 minutes, stating it was exaggerated to enforce the claims to justify the removal of the French Protestants almost fifty years later.” (Scisco 725)
It was recorded that the crew sailed north, however the latitude shows they anchored north of St.

Augustine a few days later. On April 8th the ships had ventured south where they were met with a strong current casueing the San Cristobal to be carried away and lost for two days (Davis 15). This discovery of the Gulf Stream was almost as important as the finding of Florida itself. The Gulf Stream would then help Spanish ships later on maneuver their way back home from the New World with its warm ocean current. On May 15, they sailed along the Florida Keys leaving Biscayne Bay to seek a passage north and explore the west coast of Florida (Scisco 722). Reaching the mainland on May 23, Leon and his men were met with the Calusa Native Americans who rejected trade. “The Native Americans surrounded the ships with warriors in sea canoes armed with long bows causing the explorers to turn away.” (Davis 20) This claim has also been a source of debate by historians who believe the locations of Leon’s travels “were too great to cover in the available time.” (Spellman 519) Some historians believe he landed in Cape Romano or Cape Sable to repair the ships. The encounter between the Calusa Native Americans is also not completely clear. It is possible the Native Americans could have been firstly interested in trading however then later turned violent. “On June 4th, there was another encounter with the natives near Sanibel Island and the war canoes, with the Spanish sinking four of them, an

unsubstantiated claim to justify Spanish retreat.” (Scisco 730)
They reached Dry Tortugas on June 21 where they captured seabirds, giant sea turtles and Caribbean Monk Seals. In an attempt to sail southwest to circle Cuba and then return to Puerto Rico, Leon did not estimate the power of the currents causing them to be forced eastward and loosing their sense of their location. Reaching the Grand Bahamas on July 8th, the crew had traveled east along the Florida Keys to get back on their route.
From here on, Leon manned the Santa Maria del Consolaciaon as he returned home to Puerto Rico on October 19. Many historians and experts question the time and exact locations of Ponce de Leon’s travels. He was credited with the discovery and naming of Florida, however “Spanish slave ventures had been traveling to the Bahamas since 1494”, much earlier than Leon’s discovery (Olschki)
Leon left Puerto Rico in April of 1514 to report his findings to Ferdinand where he was warmly received. There Leon was knighted, becoming the first conquistador to receive such honors.
Leon did not make one journey to his island of Florida, but two. After his first voyage he returned to Spain to seek clear instructions and a confirmation that he alone would colonize Florida. In 1521 he organized his second expedition traveling on two ships (Davis 54). To reach his goal of colonization, accompanying him on his journey were again over 200 men however this time being farmers, priests, and even artisans, along with many domestic animals and equipment for farming (Davis 59). Not long after their arrival on the gulf beaches between Charlotte Harbor and Estero Bay, did the Calusa natives attacked the Spaniards injuring Leon with what historians believe to be by “an arrow poisoned with the sap of the Manchineel tree that struck his thigh.” (Davis 61) With this failed attempt, he and the colonists who had followed sailed to Cuba, where Leon later died from his wound.
Although Leon had failed in his attempt at a farming community in Florida, Ponce de Leon is remembered as being the first conquistador who first explored and traveled many areas of Florida and their namesakes, as well as the great myth of the Fountain of Youth.