Ponce De Leon Thesis

For my research topic, I have chosen to explore the life and accomplishment of the great Spaniard conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon. There is a lot about the well-known explorer to research and report on. De Leon was one of the most remembered and accomplished of the conquistadors to ever set sail. Ponce himself has left his mark on the world and I am going to dive into his life’s journey. Ponce’s early life starts in Santervás de Campos in the now northern part of Valladolid, a Spanish province. Experts are not quite sure the exact year he was born but they estimate that de Leon was born in 1474. The identity of his parents is still unknown, but he appears to have been a member of a distinguished and influential noble family. His relatives

included Rodrigo Ponce de León, Marquis of Cádiz, a celebrated figure in the Moorish wars. The early life of de Leon lacks information but he makes but for it in his conquests and voyages.
According to R.A.

Van Middeldyk (1903) in The History of Puerto Rico, “Ponce de León was related to another notable family, the Núñez de Guzmáns, and as a young man he served as squire to Pedro Núñez de Guzmán, Knight Commander of the Order of Calatrava.”. It has been stated Ponce de León gained his experience as a soldier fighting in the Spanish campaigns that defeated the Moors in Granada and completed the re-conquest of Spain in 1492. The Granada War were several military campaigns during the span of 1482 and 1492 under the rule Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. Once the war ended many soldiers were wondering what to do next with their careers post war. Many looked to go abroad and try to discover anything they could in the New

World.
With the news about Christopher Columbus and his mighty discoveries of the New World, many people who were looking for a fresh start at life were excited to go and build colonies for Spain overseas. There was no direct need for de Leon’s military services anymore so he thought this might have been a good opportunity to do some exploring and conquering for himself. During Christopher Columbus’s second voyage in September of 1493, de Leon was one of the 200 volunteers to climb aboard and move to the New World to colonize. Reaching the Caribbean in November of 1493, they stopped at several islands before finally stopping at his new home Hispaniola. Hispaniola, now modern day Puerto Rico, would turn out to play a large role in his life. In 1502, Nicolás de Ovando arrived in Hispaniola as the newly appointed governor.
As governor, Ovando was instructed by the Spanish Crown to bring order to a country in havoc. He then ordered the Jaragua Massacre of the Tainos, a native tribe, in 1503. Ovando instructed Ponce de Leon to end the rebellion of the Tainos in the Higuey Islands off of the coast of Hispaniola. After de Leon’s victory he was appointed by Ovando as the new governor of that conquered territory. Ponce de Leon prospered as the leader of Higuey and was very successful as a farm owner using some of the natives as slaves. Ponce de Leon also instructed to exploit the Tainos for gold mining which was very popular in the region. Around 1504, the same time de Leon exploited the slaves for farming and mining, he married his wife Leonora. Together they had three daughters and a son. The stone house he had built for him and his family still stands today near the city of Salvaleón de Higuey.
As governor and commander, Ponce de Leon met with several Tainos visiting from the neighboring Puerto Rico. They told him about the rich rivers and fertile land filled with gold and all of these tales of wealth and treasure. The temptation of more wealth inspired de Leon and upon permission from Ovando he was able to explore the island. In 1508, Ferdinand II of Aragon gave Ponce official permission to explore and conquer the land. On July 12th, 1508, Ponce and crew of 50 men and one ship set sail towards Puerto Rico. Landing in what is now San Juan Bay, de Leon and his crew headed inland a few miles before setting up camp. Spending much of their resources on mining for gold, de Leon was running low on food and supplies. Sailing back to Hispaniola with a large quantity of gold, Ovando deemed this expedition a huge success and named Juan Ponce de Leon the first governor of Puerto Rico. He returned to his new land and began rule.
Christopher Columbus’s son, Diego Colon, was unpleased with the Spanish government.

King Ferdinand did not keep his word and regretted giving too much power to Columbus in allowing him a title to the land he found. Colon believed that this should now be his land which was passed down from his father. The Spanish courts ruled in favor of Colon and Ovando was ousted as governor of Hispaniola. Ponce de Leon was also removed from power as governor of Puerto Rico. The land now was under rule of Juan Ceron and Miguel Diaz. These two were appointed by Colon. De Leon went to the courts and regained rule of Puerto Rico. After gaining power once more, he had Ceron and Diaz arrested and sent back to Spain (Van Middeldyk, R. A. 1903). Colon and de Leon had their political disputes during de Leon’s second term of ruling. After it was determined that Colon had much legal power and de Leon’s power was not tenable. Ponce de Leon was once again stripped of his power and belongings while Ceron returned from Spain and was named governor of Puerto Rico for the second

time.