Lc23 Ponce de León

PONCE DE LEÓN

1460 - 1521

Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and serving as the first Governor of Puerto Rico. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain in 1474 and was from a noble family.

Encouraged by the Spanish crown to discover more land, Ponce de León decided to follow rumors he had heard from local natives about an island known as Bimini, home to a magical spring or fountain whose waters would rejuvenate those who drank from it. In search of this “fountain of youth,” as well as more land and gold, he set sail from Puerto Rico in March 1513. The following month, the expedition landed on the coast of what is now Florida.

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