Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown.
Background
Juan Ponce de León was born in the village of Santervás de Campos in the northern part of what is now the Spanish province of Valladolid. Although early historians placed his birth in 1460, and this date has been used traditionally, more recent evidence shows he was likely born in 1474. The surname Ponce de León dates from the 13th century.
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.
Career
He served in the wars of Granada and accompanied Columbus on the latter's second voyage in 1493. When Nicolás de Ovando became governor of the Indies in 1502, Ponce de León was captain of the troops in Santo Domingo, and after his capture of a rebellious native chief he was made lieutenant of the Province of Higuey, in northeastern Haiti. He established himself at Salva León and developed a thriving plantation. Natives informed him of gold on San Juan de Borinquén, now Puerto Rico, and Ovando authorized an expedition to explore the island. Ponce de León established a successful community there, but he was dispossessed by Don Diego, son of Columbus, who had been confirmed in the powers granted to his father. He therefore tried to obtain permission to seek territory outside Diego's jurisdiction and proposed an expedition to the island of Bimini in the Bahamas because of reports by natives of a fountain there which rejuvenated all who bathed in it. Encountering local opposition, he went to Spain and obtained authorization for the expedition from King Ferdinand. On Mar. 27, 1513, still in search of the Fountain of Youth, Ponce de León discovered the region he named Florida, landing on April 2 near the present site of St. Augustine. He returned to Puerto Rico and then to Spain, where Ferdinand made him governor of Bimini and Florida. In 1521 Ponce de León made a second voyage to Florida and was wounded in a skirmish with the Indians. He was taken back to Cuba and died there in May or June 1521.
Connections
In the 1500s, de Leon married Leonora, an innkeeper's daughter. The couple had three daughters and one son.